Multiple Bites
by Demon-Art-Lover1
Summary: Lucy goes on a solo mission after Lisanna comes back so the rest of Team Natsu has a chance to become reacquainted and do missions with her. But when Lucy is halfway home after completing a mission, she bumps into some trouble passing through a shortcut forest. WARNING: will definitely have lemon/s for NaLu later on, and beware, there will be slight rape in the beginning
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: wow. I finally wrote a story. I apologize if it isn't that good; it is the first I have actually written. I'm more of a read it/review it/edit it type person, but you know, here it is. please don't be too mean when you review, but I would prefer your honest opinion, so please, tell me if it needs fixing or if you like where it's going :3**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail, if I did, I would have made the couplings more obvious by putting cute scenes here and there. But I do own this story's idea and any Original Character's I decide to put in**

"It's so hoooooott…" She whined to no one in particular. Well really, there wasn't anyone _to_ complain to. She had missed the train by a couple minutes and then the station had closed for renovation which left her walking through the middle of a forest all the way back to Magnolia. Great.

A small shriek was ripped from her throat as she stumbled yet again. She flipped her blonde bangs out of her eyes and cussed under her breath. That had to be the millionth time she'd tripped on one of those stupid, mangled roots jutting out from the path beneath her worn brown boots.

The forest around her was all shades of green and brown with the light slitting through the gaps in the thin foliage above. She could feel the sweat plastering her clothes to her body like a second skin. _Gosh, this is so gross!_ But she continued to trudge further along the path, barely noticing how the brush and trees slowly became thicker the deeper into the forest she went. And besides, it's not like she had an option to stop walking. If she did, it would only take longer to return home.

"How the hell does Natsu do this" she whined, again, to no one but herself. Thinking about him was never a good thing when she was on a solo mission, because she knew it just made her heart hurt and her eyes swell from tears that had no right to fall. It wasn't like that between Natsu and Lisanna, but her mind had to keep making up scenarios of those two together and misinterpreting friendly gestures as something more. It just wasn't like that…. Or she hoped anyway.

She shook her head, trying to dislodge thoughts of the man who was too dense to realize she loved him and thought about the last village she had just been in, feeling a grimace spread across her face as she thought about the little old lady from the edge of the town._ I doubt she even knew where she was…. Why did I have to take directions from her?! This is so not a short cut!_ But she kept walking. She knew it really was supposed to be a shorter way of getting back to Magnolia, as the other roads and even the train went around this forest, and now she was cutting through it, so hopefully it would only be a couple days walk rather than a week.

She supposed she could have just walked to the next town to catch the train, but she had run out of jewel…. She'd spent most of it on the hotel she'd stayed in last night and put what little remained from the small reward she'd worked for during her solo mission into a savings account for her rent.

She sighed, letting her head fall. Thinking about all the things she could have or should have done always gave her a headache, and she so didn't need one right now-

"Damnit!" she'd tripped. Again. This time she ended up falling face first into the dirt. "Why me?!" she cried, slowly sitting back up and brushing herself off. Her shirt was white, damnit! She began to walk forward again, still brushing herself off and grumbling to herself while pushing low branches out of her way, this time making sure to keep an eye on the path in front of her. _No more tripping please_. And then she heard that wonderful sound, a sound signalling a small salvation from this heat.

She broke into a run, not caring about the way her lungs burned or the way her muscles ached from the added exertion. The air slowly became cooler as she got closer and closer to the sound as it also became darker and darker.

She only slowed when she reached a narrow clearing, the only sunlight falling directly onto what she had been looking for: a small stream. She estimated it to be two metres wide and about knee deep as she dropped her bag beside it and knelt, grinning like an idiot while dipping her hand into the water. It was the perfect temperature to counter the humid air that still clung to her like the sweat clutching her clothes in its sticky grasp.

Pulling her hand out caused the water that clung to the skin of her hand to form droplets that ran down her forearm to fall from the tips of her fingers back into the glistening water, causing her to shiver in delight from its coolness.

"It's wonderful!" she laughed as she began washing her hands and face free of the remaining smudges of dirt. She continued to wash her face and drank heartily from the stream before beginning to refill her flask. She then proceeded to stand and look up and down the stream.

_Damn, doesn't look like it gets any wider either way_, her thoughts disappointed._ Oh well, this will have to do._ She reached arms above her head to stretch and then slowly dragged her hands back down her body, her cool hands lingering on her neck and the top of her breasts where her shirt split into a wide V, their coolness soothing her overheated body before continuing on their path to the bottom hem of her shirt and began to lift it, peeling the fabric from her skin, never noticing the eyes watching her every move from the other side of the stream. That is, until she heard someone clear their throat, causing her to jump and shriek a little in fright while trying to yank her shirt back over large breasts. She just ended up getting her arms tangled and falling to the pebbled ground on her ass. _God that hurt…._

"Hey, are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you…." She felt hands help tug her shirt back down and saw one of them extend in front of her. Smiling sheepishly and face flushed with embarrassment, she took the strangers hand and stood.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Um, thanks, I think" she mumbled, finally stopping brushing herself off and looking at the stranger. Er, boy?

"Um, I didn't mean to disrupt you, and certainly not to peep. I swear." The boy looked away with slightly pinkened cheeks, scratching the back of his head. _He's so cute…._ She couldn't help thinking as she studied him. The boy had shaggy blonde hair, a roman nose, strong cheek bones and chin, only a little shorter than herself, bronzed skin as if he was in the sun all day every day shown off by a white tank with blue jeans, and looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old.

She blushed again at his statement. "Ah…. Don't worry about that…." _Definitely awkward conversation matter_…. "Anyway, what's a boy like you doing here?"

His eyes flicked back to her, flashing in amusement. "I could ask you the same thing." She blinked, taken aback. _Gold eyes?! Is that even possible?!_

"Besides, I can handle myself." He smirked.

Her temper flared, and then turned flustered as she fought for words to defend herself. "Hey, I can take care of myself, this was just…. You just surprised me is all. We're in the middle of a forest, for crying out loud. I wasn't expecting anyone to jump out…." He just laughed. It was a nice, smooth sound that made you want to smile in return. His vibe seemed pleasant enough, not a danger to her at the moment. She could just tell these types of things about individuals; after all she was a people person, just like all Heartfilia's are raised to be.

"So, what _is_ a lady like you doing in the middle of a dangerous forest like this?"

She grimaced. "Well, um, attempting to take a short cut through to Magnolia", she started scratching the back of her head, a habit she had no doubt picked up from Natsu over the year and a half they had been partners, "but I no longer think this is a short cut."

"Obviously in a hurry to get home then."

"Yes and no, I suppose. And you didn't answer my question."

"Oh?"

"What are you doing here? I've explained myself, now it's your turn." She crossed her arms over her bulging chest with an expectant expression on her face.

He hesitated a moment before looking down at his feet and scuffing one shoe amongst the pebbled stones in front of him. There was a few heartbeats of silence when she began to think he wasn't going to answer, and was just about to ask him not to worry about it, but he looked up with a small smile gracing his lips that, to her, looked to be tinged with sadness as he looked around at the surrounding forestry.

"I live here." She had to stop herself from asking more questions…. _He looks so sad…._ He looked back at her, and she was jolted again by the colour of his eyes. "Anyway, you obviously want to bathe, yes?" The question was asked so quietly that she almost missed it, but she got the gist of what he said from him looking between her, the small stream and back again with pink cheeks. "I can take you to a bigger area. It has a small lake and a natural hot spring over the rocks…. It's not too far from here, either."

She grinned softly at him; her next words making him face her again and smile in return. "That would be lovely," she paused, extending her hand, "and by the way, my names Lucy, Lucy of Fairy Tail."

"Lukas," he took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a light kiss on her knuckles. She didn't notice his deep inhalation before he moved away; instead she just stood there with a slightly dumbfounded expression tinged with pink. "What? Cant a guy have manners?" He said with a raised brow and cocky grin before turning and taking her bag.

"H-hey! You don't have to take that!" Scrambling to keep up with him and reaching to take her bag back.

"Yeah, but that's not how my dad raised me. He always told me if I was in the presence of a lady, to treat her as a lady." He swapped her bag to his other shoulder, the opposite side to what she was joining him on and smiled at her._ Jeesh, he isn't struggling with it at all… isn't it heavy for him? It weighs near a tonne!_

She sighed. She was kind of happy someone was treating her like a lady. She hadn't been regarded as one since she left the Heartfilia mansion, and it's not like anyone at Fairy Tail had handled her like one. Well, everyone knew who was male and female; obviously, because there was no way you could miss the women. The majority of them had _massive_ breasts, so much so it was ridiculous. But they were all treated the same way, like _nakama_, like equals. Which was a good thing and why she loved the guild so much more than her 'Lady Heartfilia' lifestyle, but she just wished that a certain dragon slayer would treat her differently from everyone else in the guild, as more than just _nakama_. But of course, he was and is too dense to understand those sorts of feelings and desires…. Sure, he had matured a lot since they first became a team, but he either didn't care about anything sexual or, she thought glumly, he just didn't have any interest in_ her_. She could keep dreaming though, to be held by a particular someone, kissed by them, touched by them…. _Oh wow, are my thoughts going off into the gutter or what?_ She brought her still cool hand to her face, trying to be rid of the heat before it turned a bright tomato red, pressing the other to her chest between her breasts.

At least she wasn't as bad as Erza and her smutty books. Not yet anyway. She giggled at the thought while Lukas gave her a curious side long look, saying nothing.

"So, what do you do around here? I mean, if you live here, how do you survive? Or have fun? And how long have you been living here?"

"Well," he pushed a branch aside and held it for her to pass before continuing. "We go hunting several times a week for food, use the lake and stream for bathing, and the fresh water ponds for drinking. We also scavenge for herbs when someone is hurt or injured. You'd be amazed at how many types there are…. And for fun, we swim, we race, we train… We've all been here about the same amount of time, a couple years difference here or there maybe. I've been here for about seven years now."

"Whose 'we'?" she couldn't help but ask. She hadn't seen any signs of others being here, and she hadn't thought that this forest had been populated to begin with. From what she heard, barely anyone even traversed the area due to the forestation being too thick for larger groups, and too dangerous for any others. Lucy had ignored the warnings in the prospect of getting home faster.

Lukas lapsed into hesitation again, looking unsure. "Um, hopefully you won't have to worry about meeting the others…."

"Why? Is that a problem?"

"No, we just don't get many visitors, and the others should be off hunting for the next day or two….. Anyway, we're here." He smiled down at the lake stretched out before us. She was awestruck.

The sun shone directly down onto it, the beams reflecting off the surface making the water sparkle and the waterfall on the opposite side seem more majestic than it already was with the rocks either side of it covered in a vibrant green moss.

"Wahhh! It's beautiful!" She beamed at the lake, and then at Lukas who grinned in return. "I can't believe you live here." Shaking her head in disbelief, she surveyed the area again with sparkly eyes.

"If this is beautiful, then you should see it during a full moon." She looked at him with wide eyes. He raised his face to the sun, the rays caressing his sculpted face and neck.

"Shall we go to the water's edge?" He smiled again and walked down the hill towards the water, leaving her at the apex to stare after him.

He was a strange one, what with the mood swings and obvious avoidance of some subjects._ I wonder if he's alright_. With brows lightly creased together, she padded down after him.

"You can bathe just around there," he pointed to a spot a few metres away where a line of rocks were built up into a wall reaching out into the water. "The waters about waist deep and the rocks form a sort of alcove in a horseshoe shape. There is also a smaller waterfall that comes from the stream we were at earlier." Lukas walked over to the wall and rested her bag against the rocks before walking back to the forests edge behind her.

"Are you leaving?"

"No. I was going to fetch fire wood so we could cook some fish from the lake while you bathe. Unless you want me to leave?" He put his hands into his pockets and cocked his head to the right, observing her with those golden eyes again.

"I didn't say that!" He smirked and continued on his way, disappearing into the foliage.

She scrunched her nose and poked her tongue out in the direction he had left. Turning, she walked to where the rocks began to extend out into the lake and noticed a light shelf just below the water's surface. Toeing her boots off, she slipped one foot and then the other into the water, sighing in content again at how cool it was. Making her way to the end of the rock wall, she peeked around the edge and her breath hitched.

It was just as Lukas had stated, except that on every surface of rock at the end of the alcove was covered in violet amethyst and blue sapphire crystals along with lily pads of all sizes on the water's surface around the edges of the alcove. She experimentally pressed on one, finding it solid and smooth under her fingertips. It didn't sink until she had pressed her full weight on it.

_That's good. Something to put dry clothes on until I'm finished_.

She hurried back to her bag to collect a few things before going back to the alcove. She began removing her clothes, this time with no interruptions.

Wading deeper into the water, she strode over to the small water fall. It was wonderfully warmer than the alcoves water and had enough pressure for amending tight muscles. As she sat on a rock next to the cascading water, she let her mind wander, having the water beat on the back of her neck and top of her shoulders.

_I wonder if Team Natsu finished their mission early…_ She let her eyes glaze over with lowered lids as she lightly began to wash away the sweat that had yet to be removed from her skin.

The team was supposed to return to the guild tomorrow. If they finished early, they were supposed to return to the guild this evening, which was why she was taking this shortcut. And she wanted to see Natsu before having to leave on another solo mission, just for a minute before the pain of seeing him with Lisanna forced her to leave.

As before, she knew it wasn't like that between them, but he had gotten really close to her over the month or so she had been back from Edolas. As close as he was with Lucy, maybe even closer. Lucy knew they were just really good friends, but things could easily change over the course of a mission. And she had felt kind of replaced on the team.

Lucy knew it was her fault that this was happening, seeing as she was always leaving on solo missions. But it was to give the others more time to catch up with Lisanna; after all, they hadn't seen her in many years because they thought her dead when in fact she had gotten sucked into Edolas. Lucy didn't want to step in the way of old friends getting re-acquainted, so she hadn't joined the team for the entire month on any missions. She hadn't meant for it to be so long, but over the last week, it had just slowly become difficult to be around Natsu and Lisanna.

Everything was still good though, because no one had forgotten about her. Erza and Gray still popped up and asked her to join them on missions, and Natsu still invaded her privacy on a daily basis, if she was around after a solo mission that is, to beg her to join him and the team for a mission.

She smiled slightly, skimming over her nipples before adjusting her position to begin scrubbing her legs.

For some reason, she had become accustomed to declining their offers, which always made Natsu pout, right before Lisanna stepped in to comfort him and say 'there's always the next mission for Lucy to join us on, so don't pout'. It hadn't happened. _Oh Natsu, have I made a mess of things?_

It was quite obvious Lisanna had lingering feelings for Natsu from their childhood together, but she hadn't made any moves to take their relationship further, which kind of confused Lucy. The few times she had spoken to Lisanna, they had become good friends. They even talked about her liking Natsu. All she ever replied was, "do you want me to pursue him? Or is it you who wants to?" Lucy never gave an answer, instead choosing to look away dumbfounded and embarrassed before asking Mira for a drink which in turn made Lisanna giggle at the way she skirted away from the answer. God, her feelings were so messed up and confusing….

She heard a splash on the other side of the rocks that jerked her from her thoughts. She finally noticed that the sun was setting, and that the crystals nestled amongst moss and rock had started to faintly glow. She reached out and touched one, a light hum spreading up her fingers. _So pretty…_. Shaking her head, she finished washing her hair, drying and dressing into her blue skirt and blue and white shirt. Attaching her whip and keys to each hip, she carried her things back to the rocky beach._ Good timing_, she thought, as Lukas was dragging a huge fish out of the water.

"How did you catch that thing? It's as big as you!" It also reminded her of how Natsu went fishing, although he was much more boisterous about it along with a fish-crazed Happy.

"It was no problem. I usually catch bigger ones than this, but I think they've gotten smarter…. They're avoiding me more often lately." She couldn't stop the laugh at his feigned hurt expression.

He grinned while staking the fish on a large stick to sit over the fire he'd made. About fifteen minutes later, they each had a large morsel of fish fillet and were eating. _Sweet…. I didn't know fish could be sweet without any garnishing's_.

"You're frowning. I wonder if you're thinking about the sweetness of the meat?" She stared at him. He laughed. "Everyone is shocked at the taste the first time they eat it. The sweetness is caused by the crystals. I think they have mystic properties that purify the water, adding sweetness and making the fish grow to ridiculous sizes."

"Wow" was all she could reply, nibbling on the piece in between her fingers and considering Lukas' theory. It explained the glowing and humming she'd observed while bathing.

They continued talking about many things, a lot of which they had in common, although he hadn't much experience with a lot outside the forest. They fell quiet to eat in companionable silence for another twenty or so minutes.

"I'm so full, but it's so yummy," she groaned quietly. Lukas looked at her incredulously.

"How can you be full? You barely ate anything!"

"Compared to you maybe, but you just keep shovelling it in! Where do you put it all?" His appetite was just like Natsu's and Gajeels. At least Wendy had some manners and moderation…. _Wait, am I comparing Lukas to the Dragon Slayers? No way…_

"I don't know. I've always had a large appeti-" He froze, body stiffening, he paled so much so his skin almost matched Lucy's pale tone.

"Lukas?" she asked uncertainly. He growled, actually _growled_. He stood sharply, food forgotten, and turned away from her to face the trees behind him away from the alcove, continuing the rumbling from his throat. She frowned at him before putting her plate down.

"Ah, Lukas, I see you chose to eat without us. Shame on you." The new voice resounding over their camp sent a chill of unease down her spine. She put a hand on her keys, the other on the handle of her whip.

"And what a lovely friend you have there. Lucy, was it? A pleasure to meet you." A man was suddenly in front of her, the moonlight shone down behind him, covering his face in flickering shadows caused by the crackling fire.

Lukas snarled, swinging around in an attempt to get between her and this intimidating person. The stranger simply turned to him and bared his teeth, a fang glinting in the firelight before a low growl answered Lukas, who froze again before backing off a step and looking to the ground, eyes in shadows.

_Who the hell is this?!_ She was stunned silent, as she felt the strangers eyes shift back to her. This was definitely the point at which to call one of her Celestial Spirits, wasn't it?

**A/N: dun dun duh! Hopefully the ending was ominous enough... anyways, plz R&R, and hopefully, I can have the next chapter up sometime next week :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ok, so I'm a day late. At least I got the next chapter up within 24 hours. A little shorter, but you know :3**

**Disclaimer: I still do Not own Fairy Tail or its characters**

_That same morning…._

"Natsu! Are you alright?!" Lisanna grabbed the salmon haired man's arm and helped him to stand properly before he toppled over to the concrete floor of Magnolia's train station platform. Although he still stood a bit hunched over with a fading green complexion, a muscled arm clutched at his stomach.

He groaned lightly. _Never…. Taking….. The train... Again…._ But of course he would have to. According to the others on the team, it was a quicker way to travel. If it were up to him, they would just run or hike to where ever they needed to go. _Endurance training…. Yeah_.

He looked up, finally noticing that they had stepped off the damned transportation device and whooped in victory. "Yeah! We made it home! Come on guys." He took off running towards the guild, his partner Happy flying above him and replicating his enthusiasm. "Aye sir!"

The rest of them just sighed in exasperation. Erza and Lisanna smiled after their boisterous teammate and exceed while Gray frowned at their backs. "Flame brain is such a lousy mage. First he destroys everything, and then pukes all over the train."

Natsu's echo of, 'I heard that droopy eyes!' reached their ears and the ice mages frown deepened.

"Gray, your clothes." Erza covered a blushing Lisanna's eyes and began to lead the now blind girl in the direction Natsu had taken to the guild.

"WHAT?! When did this happen?!" It turned out that Gray had subconsciously removed all clothing except his boxers. He frantically ran around the station looking for his pants only to find them cinched between the set of trains doors they had just exited from, too late to get them back as it began to pull out of the station at speed. With a look of horror on his face, Gray bolted to the guild with the hopes he'd move too fast for the people of Magnolia to see him and his stripy boxers. But why would that matter? They see him often enough in such an indecent manner anyway.

* * *

Natsu's sandals pounded on the path before him as he ran to the guild, his signature grin spreading across his face as the building came into his sights. He burst through the large wooden doors, not stopping but slowing down to a brisk walk while shouting a "Hey guys! We're back." at the top of his lungs.

"Aye!" Happy followed suit before flying off in the direction of Charle who sat by Wendy at one of hall tables with Bisca and Alzack. They were talking about wind change and density from the sounds of it. Happy then asked if the female exceed wanted some fish.

Grinning, his eyes automatically began searching the beer hall for a certain Celestial mage, nose scenting for that special scent that was all Lucy with a hint of strawberry and stardust, a heavenly scent. When he didn't find it, or see her, he turned to the bar and smiled at Mira who was, as always, polishing a beer mug.

"Hello Natsu. Welcome back." She smiled at him, putting the mug away in favour of wiping down the bar top in front of him as he sat on his usual stool. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Ah, they were right behind me…. Or at least they had been when we left the station." He frowned, scratching the back of his head in thought. Looking around the hall again, he watched as Erza and Lisanna finally walked into the guild smiling at everyone, while the majority of people grimaced lightly at Erza's return. It wasn't long before the armour clad woman was yelling at Visitar to move his dancing outside, or bellowing at Nab to pick a job already or just yelling at someone for doing something incorrect. At least she wasn't yelling at him for the moment.

"Hey Mira, where's Lucy?" His frown became a confused pout when he faced the resident bartender again. It was strange that Luce wasn't here. She always got back from her solo missions in time to say hello to him, and the others of course, before taking off again. In fact, she always made sure she got back the same day, or even the day before the Team got back... Damn those solo missions. If it were up to him, she would stay with the Team for all the missions, but he had respected her wishes when she said she wanted to start going on solo missions to build up her strength while he and the others hung out with Lisanna to catch up. Although he had vigorously protested against it, there was no way he was going to stop Luce if she wanted to become stronger. Hell, he wanted to help and support her with anything she wanted to do. But it had been over a month already. There was no way Natsu was going to let her leave the Team for good. She wasn't and never had been a replacement for Lisanna; to the Team or to him. He just hoped she knew that.

"Hmmmm, I believe she's supposed to arrive back at the guild sometime today, or even tomorrow morning. She had sent a message early yesterday morning saying she had to take a shortcut on foot to come back to the guild because the train station closed for renovation in the city she was staying in for her mission." Mira scratched her cheek with the tip of an index finger and smiled at Natsu. "Don't worry so much Natsu. She can take care of herself. Besides you can go check out her apartment later tonight to see if she went there instead of coming straight here."

"I know that." He replied stubbornly, and then slumped onto the bar with a pout.

Mira sighed at his extravagance. "Really Natsu, why don't you go train with Gajeel? Or Gray? That way you can wait for Lucy without being bored." He picked his pink head up and looked around, now noticing that Gray had walked in and was talking to Cana and her big barrel of alcohol.

_Why can't Luce be here now? I haven't seen her for so long…_ It had been almost a week since both Luce and his Team had left for their missions. The fire dragon slayer was disappointed that he had to wait for her, but he would wait as long as it would take to see her again. So he supposed he might as well create some mischief in the guild until then, perhaps a brawl…. "Hey stripper! Finally got some clothes now do ya?" The reply was immediate.

"What did you call me, ash bucket?!"

"You heard me, icicle." The two frenemies stalked towards each other, teeth and fangs bared with their fists raised in preparation.

"I dare you to say it again, retard." They were now forehead to forehead with a blasting battle aura that had the rest of the guild tensing in anticipation and dread, or sighing in lethargy. Really, it was ridiculous that the two fought so often when they were the best of friends.

"Ah, would you quit'cha bickering! Some people are trying to eat." Gajeel's deep baritone echoed over the now silent hall, causing the two mages to turn equally blazing eyes onto the iron dragon slayer who continued chomping on his metal bolts. Levy, who was sitting across from him, continued to read her heavy tome obliviously.

"You want some of this, Gajeel?"

"No I don't, stripper, and walking around the way you do is nowhere near tempting. It's perverted."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu had a hand over his mouth, the other wrapped over his abdomen with quaking shoulders. Gray scowled at fire mage. There was only ever two times Salamander stood like that, and the first didn't matter because they weren't on any sort of transportation. The ice mage scowled darkly and in the next second he had Natsu's pink head under his arm in a headlock. "What are you laughing at, pinky?" Natsu couldn't answer as he burst out laughing.

Sighing, Cana slurred, "Grrray, yourrr clothessss…" It wasn't even lunch time and she was already drunk. Said ice mage frowned and looked down to find his pants, shirt and shoes gone. Eyes wide and mouth agape, the ice mage dropped his defences. Natsu got his opening and dropped to the ground, breaking Gray's headlock and yanking his boxers down in the process. Rolling out behind the ice-make mage, Natsu kicked one of Gray's knees out from under him and then followed up with a round-house right in the middle of his back, sending a naked Gray sailing towards the still oblivious Levy.

There was a loud roar before the impact, and suddenly Gray received a very solid punch to the jaw from a glove clad fist that sent him flying back to the bar. Another, lower growl gave the warning before the words. "Keep your hands to yourself, streaker." Gajeel's fangs were bared at the offending mage who crash landed on the bar top before toppling down behind it.

There was a moment of silence that was only pierced by a high-pitched "Gray-sama!" as the gossip mongers amongst the guild members watched with flashing eyes at how Gajeel stood protectively in front of Levy, a snarl still etched on his face. Only then did the bluenette look up from her book to glance around with a small frown, only now noticing that the iron slayer was no longer sitting across from her.

She examined the scene with a blushing red face that stood out from her pale skin and blue hair. The gossiper's stares became more intense as they scrutinized Levy's reaction, all coming to the same obvious conclusions. It was no secret that the resident bookworm and iron dragon slayer had a thing for each other, but the two mages just couldn't seem to get over the denial of their feelings for each other.

Natsu was still smirking as he watched Gray's crash landing. But the expression dropped from his face as the blood drained away with it, leaving him paler than a fish's scaled belly. The thumping landing had caused the beer mug's rack to shake and set the glasses to rattling against each other. At the sound, everyone else in the guild paled as well and turned so slowly to look at the bar. Mira stood watching the mugs she polished everyday shake and wobble, as if they were about to fall before deciding to settle instead. She sighed in relief, but before everyone else could release their breaths, Gray groaned and jerked to a stand; or at least attempted to. His head impacted the first bottom rack with a loud bang, snapping the shelf in half and sending those mugs clattering to the floor. Another pregnant silence stretched where nobody moved. They could all sense the impending doom but couldn't move, couldn't flee.

Mira's faced darkened and cracked. Her hair started to lift with crackling static around her and with eyes narrowed to slits, she brought her fist down onto the bar top with an even louder boom as the surface cracked and split. "HOW. DARE. YOU!"

That was all it took to send the entire guild bolting for the large wooden doors. No one made it though, as the pushing and shoving quickly escalated to a full on brawl with Mira at the centre beating anyone she got her hands on. The only ones to make it out were Gajeel, Levy and Lily, as the slayer had thrown the bookworm over his shoulder and headed in the opposite direction to the back of the guild where library was with Lily trailing close on his heels.

Gray had found some pants by then, having shaken off the concussion he had probably gotten from the crash and splitting rack, and jumped into the fray with a frosted fist to Natsu's nose. Pain bloomed up the offended area and spread over his eyes and brow. He paid no heed to it though, as he returned a stronger fist laced with fire back at Gray's face.

The brawl continued for some time, until a huffing Mira was the last mage standing, Natsu and Gray being the first to get a knock to the head from both the eldest Strauss sibling and Erza.

Makarov sat on the second floors balcony banister, overlooking the scene and shaking his head at his children. Mira took a deep breath and smiled, returning to normal and acting as if nothing had happened, stepped over her fellow guild mates to collect a broom and began cleaning up the splinters, chunks of wood and glass.

When Natsu came to, his eyes were bleary and his head throbbed just behind his left ear, which he guessed came from where both Mira and Erza had knocked him out cold. Everyone else was already up and about, laughing and jesting loudly with the smell of liquor as strong as ever in the evening at the guild hall. He dragged himself to his stool and sat, grinning and rubbing a sore spot on his jaw. _Damn that Gray…._

"Hey Natsu, you finally awake?" Lisanna was smiling at him from behind the bar with Mira, serving alcohol filled mugs to the rowdy mages.

"Haha, yeah. How long was I out?"

"Well it's definitely dark out, so for several hours. Mira and Erza must have smacked you over the head real good this time. Gray only woke less than an hour ago too." He lifted his nose slightly and scented the air. Still no sign of Lucy. Damn.

"Can I get a flaming rum shot?"

"Of course." Lisanna turned away with a knowing glint in her eyes as she fetched a couple of shot glasses further down the bar. She'd watched Natsu sniff the air like a blood hound and it was obvious who he was searching for. She smiled while mixing the drink. This was a similar situation to Gajeel and Levy, except between Natsu and Lucy. However the latter couple weren't in denial. Lucy had already confided in her and Levy that she had feelings for Natsu (as if it wasn't obvious enough already) and Natsu was too dense to understand the feelings he returned. He showed it every time he was near Lucy; the way he looked at her, stayed by her side, embraced her, and chased off all other men. Everyone could see it, but Lucy of course.

Returning to Natsu, Lisanna handed him the drink and tossed back her own. He wasn't exactly pouting but…. He just wasn't fully there. The youngest take-over sibling thought for a moment and decided to test Natsu, see if he really and truly was all for the Celestial mage.

"Hey Natsu, want to have a drinking competition?" He perked up at the prospects of winning a contest. Cana overheard her and shouted it to the rest of the guild, the majority of who did join in. Natsu ended up spending the rest of the night trying to out drink the fortune-card mage and chatting slurred-ly with Lisanna, Elfman, Erza, Cana and Gray.

By the time all the guild members were being herded out of the beer hall by Mira, everyone was more than excessively drunk, and it was well after midnight. Lisanna had started her 'test' already, having expended the night at Natsu's side, sitting closer than necessary, occasionally brushing thigh against thigh, shoulder against shoulder. He hadn't seemed to notice.

Now she stood with a swaying Natsu leaning on her, his arm over her shoulders for support. He'd had so much to drink; most likely more than three times as much as she had had.

"Mira! I'm going to walk Natsu home, ok?" She called back into the hall. The eldest take-over sibling was just finishing closing the hall up and Laxus was still here, so she wouldn't be alone. He wasn't nearly as drunk as Natsu, so he should be alright to keep her sister company.

Natsu's vision was blurred and he had a silly smile curving his lips. His arm was stretched out over something warm that was pressed into his side. There was a quick shout out, but the words went in one ear and out the other. Then the thing under his arm shifted, turned and began to lead his swaying form away from the guild, the only thing keeping him anywhere near oriented was his nose. There were too many scents to decipher, but he did recognize the guild hall, he always would.

After a distance, they came to a stop under a lamp post on a small bridge after Natsu had stumbled, causing him to wrench the person, he had figured out, under his arm right up against him. After steadying them and himself, he looked down at the blurred face below him, holding the person by the shoulders slightly away from him and grinned sheepishly. "Oops."

The person just hummed lightly in response and stepped closer, a hand sliding up his bare, muscled chest through the opening in his vest. "Natsu…" They whispered, stepping closer again until the first hand was joined by another and slid up to his shoulders. His name whispered again, the arms went around his neck and the person pressed their full body against his. He could feel a pair of breasts now pressing into his chest, the nipples hardened to points poking into his pectorals. His own hands glided down from her shoulders, running over her sides to settle in a firm grip on her hips that kept her pressed against him before they slipped around her waist and lower back, embracing her.

Again, the person whispered his name, this time their breath brushed his ear. As his head sank down to bury his nose in her hair, he noticed something off. Her shape was small enough that his size engulfed her, but her shape was wrong and her scent was wrong. Mint and honeysuckle wasn't it.

Natsu pulled back and squinted down at the girl. Short white hair, big blue eyes. _Lisanna. Not my Luce_. He smiled down at his childhood friend. "Lisanna."

She froze and looked up at him, studied his eyes and expression. No lust or desire, it was the look of a friend, the look that proclaimed 'brotherly love'. There was nothing sexual about it, and when he had said her name, she already knew the answer to her test. There was no one else but Lucy for him. And she was happy. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Be good to her. Make sure she knows your feelings for her." She looked into his eyes and walked away. "Good night Natsu."

He had no idea what had just happened, but he smiled, waved his good bye to her and began walking, going home for a nice, long nap. When his feet stopped dragging him through the streets, he looked up. _This isn't my home_. He frowned, studying the building as best he could in his drunken state._ Yes it is. I wonder when I started to think of this as home…_ He shrugged and climbed the wall to the window. Luce always left it open, just for him, even when she was away. She knew he'd just barge in to look for her anyway. But this time, he crept into the bedroom silently and looked around the darkened space.

The room was chilly from lack of heating over the past few days, the neatly made bed untouched. _She's not here_…. He saddened and looked around again. Slipping his sandals off along with his vest and waist coat, he crawled into the cold bed. Hugging the pillow, he buried his nose in it and inhaled. _Ah, Luce_…. Although not strong, the down pillow still held her scent. _Home…._ Another deep breath and he burrowed deeper into the sheets. _Come home to me soon, Luce…_ He drifted off to sleep, dreaming of stars and his blonde haired angel.

**A/N: I know it didn't continue from where Lucy was at, but I wanted to build suspense for that. The next chapter will continue from Lucy though. Plz R&R, I want to see what people think of the story so far :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: hey, I'm so sorry guys that I have only just put this chapter out. I got caught up with homework and assignments, and am still behind in them, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done, but anyway, here's this chapter. Hope you like it**

_Last Time:_

_Lukas snarled, swinging around in an attempt to get between her and this intimidating person. The stranger simply turned to him and bared his teeth, a fang glinting in the firelight before a low growl answered Lukas, who froze again before backing off a step and looking to the ground, eyes in shadows._

_Who the hell is this?! She was stunned silent, as she felt the strangers eyes shift back to her. This was definitely the point at which to call one of her Celestial Spirits, wasn't it?_

And Now:

Lucy felt as if frozen in place under the stranger's icy stare. He took a step closer, less than a metre apart and into the light where she could now see a pink slash of a mouth stretching into a flashing smile. He folded his hands behind his back and leaned forward, still studying her, never blinking. A trickle of sweat ran down the back of her neck and another chill shivered down her spine, causing her fingers to tremble lightly.

This man towered over her with a lanky but strong form. His eyes staring so intently into hers were a pale blue, but the closer he got the more white flecks she could see cutting through them. It made her think of a hazardous snow storm similar to the one she and Natsu had gone through to rescue Macau from Mt Hakube. He was now close enough that their noses almost touched, and even without the contact, she could feel a radiating cold coming off of him.

When he pulled back enough that she could breathe again, he began to circle her, a predator studying his prey. And she felt minuscule. She'd never felt that way in any situation, not even in all the years she had spent with her father after her mother had passed. She'd only been neglected then, never truly belittled.

"So pretty, aren't you Lucy?" She could feel that icy stare rake over her body as his gaze travelled her form. Her hair rose on end and she felt the need to run. _Run…_ The air in her lungs felt constricted as if strapped tight with barbed wire, her breath turned into light pants. And then he was in front of her again, closer than before. And this time he leaned in closer, face bypassing hers until his was inches from the skin of her throat, black chin-length hair brushing her cheek. Fine. Cold. Like him. Her pulse sped up to a pounding rhythm from lack of oxygen.

His breath chilled her skin again. She trembled, hating herself for letting even a sliver of fear show and could sense his smile broaden when he inhaled, scenting her. _Wait, he's sniffing me? What the hell?_ She squeezed her hands tight until the knuckles turned white, took a shaky step back, raised her chin and frowned at him. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her; she was a mage of Fairy Tail after all. But she couldn't tell him off as she would have anyone else. The chill surrounding him kept her words frozen on her tongue.

He just laughed lightly, a disturbing sound in the quiet of the area surrounding them. The fire glinted off his white teeth and in his hair where a light blue streak caught the moonlight on the left side of his head.

"Lukas, I have to say that you found a most beautiful creature for us this time." Her eyes widened as she looked from the stranger to Lukas.

"She's not for you or the clan, Gelum." Lukas ground out between clenched teeth.

"You intend to claim her then? And not share?" The stranger, _Gelum_, partly turned to Lukas with a raised brow and a strange glint in his eyes, eyes that never left Lucy. The boy's eyes lifted to hers. An apology was clear as day in those pools of gold, along with anger.

A rumbling began echoing over the area that made her finally noticed that it wasn't just Gelum who had cut into their camp. There were about five other men who stood in a semi-circle behind Lukas, chuckling and blocking any escape routes into the forest or down the curved stone beach. They were all in shadows, being too far away for the fire to light their features, yet close enough that they could jump into action should anything happen…. Such as her drawing out a Celestial Spirit.

The atmosphere turned a touch tenser as Lucy tried calculating the odds of escape. There was barely any chance for it though, even with the help of her Spirits, as they were in the middle of a forest, away from civilisation and any source of help as well as being outnumbered by the men. _Damn them… And what are they talking about? Claim me?_

She ground her teeth together; one hand tightening on the handle of her whip and the other began to slowly stroke her keys to decide which Spirit to bring forth.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She jumped and turned, the quiet voice shocking her. Her face began to heat with embarrassment and anger. How could she not have heard or sensed him come up behind her?! She made a quick assessment of him and…. Came to a similar conclusion about him as she had Lukas. There was nothing bad about his aura. In fact, there was hardly one there from what she could sense. It had to be shadowed by something, perhaps some type of magic? Whatever it was, it barely allowed her to sense it, however faint it was, unfortunately it was still there. This person was no illusion.

He stepped towards her and out of the shadows. _My god, do all the guys here have to be so handsome?_ His lips twitched a little, but did not shift into a smile.

"Ah, Nox, you decided to join us." Gelum smiled at the new man, sending another round of disgusted shivers down her spine. Nox's eyes lazily scanned the area before settling on her. His eyes that were as dark as shadows yet lit with the light of stars. Eyes of the night sky with spiked black hair and bangs hanging just above his blank gaze, brushing the lightly sun-kissed skin of his brow, skin that appeared luminescent in the moonlight where it was showing around his tight black shirt and dark jeans. He had a build like Elfman, tall with broad shoulders and she cursed under her breath. Another obstacle that further lowered her chance of escape.

A moment of silence reined over the camp when Nox did not answer. He remained silent, gaze glazing over as he looked out to the water. Her fingers twitched at her keys again, and his dark eyes returned to her, seeming to say 'Don't do it'. Her frown deepened.

Lukas stepped forward then. "Gelum, please just let us return to Saevio. She has nothing to do with us, so just leave her be." In a flash Lukas was off his feet. Gelum had the boy off the ground with one hand wrapped around his throat and teeth bared. The boy clawed at Gelum's hand, but it had no effect.

"You will not demand anything or give orders, boy." Lucy gasped and was about to run to Lukas, but a strong hand gripped her upper arm. She looked back to see the dark man, _Nox_, holding her back. He shook his head and jerked his chin in the direction of the commotion.

Lukas hissed, "I shall do as I please," as he snapped Gelum's wrist, the crunch of bone reverberating over the area as Lukas dropped to his feet, scattering the pebbles there. She was horrified by the sound, but even more so by the lack of a pained cry. Gelum's response to Lukas was a growl. He didn't even clutch at his broken wrist, as if there was no pain.

"You little shit."

"I did not swear fealty to you, so you have no ground over me no matter how much you suck up to Saevio." The other men just stood around, the signs of agitation at the display of dominance shown through their tensed muscles and ready-to-spring stances. They acted like Natsu, Gajeel and Laxus when there was a fight or bar brawl._ Again with the dragon slayer comparison?_ She was so confused. Who were these guys? _What_ were they? And just what the hell were they talking about?

"It matters not whether you obey me, but she now has everything to do with us, so the beauty shall accompany us to Saevio and he shall make the final decision. Either you claim her, or we will." The chilled voice was followed by a dark chuckle as she felt all eyes turn and rake over her lush, curvaceous body. It was at moments like this when she wished she wore less revealing clothes.

She cleared her throat finally found her voice as all the men began closing in on her. "Where the hell do you think you'll be taking me? I don't even know you guys, so what gives you the right to-" a hard hand clamped onto her arm jerking her sideways into a hard wall of muscle, cutting off her words and making her bite down on her tongue. Everyone froze as blood flooded her mouth.

Lucy grimaced at the metallic taste and looked up while wiping her lip clear of the few drops of blood that had managed to escape and straight into Lukas's eyes. His tanned face had slackened and his eyes had dilated to the point where you could barely see the gold anymore. Actually, all the men had that look on their faces as they stared at her lips, leaning closer to her. The hand already on her arm tightened where she could feel the individual fingers leaving imprints and bruising the creamy flesh. They all slowly began to step towards her again, but a snarl stopped them. The hand on her arm was ripped away and she stumbled lightly before another set of warmer ones were replaced on her shoulders, steadying her, and then jerked her backwards as the grunting wall of muscle that had bruised her arm so easily was thrown to the ground and skidded in a spray of pebbled stones several metres down the shore.

Lukas was in front of her then, fangs on display as a hiss tore from his lips. "Don't touch her." The others growled their protest but backed off a step when Gelum stepped forward with anger etched on every surface of his face.

"You dare strike at your clan members?" Lukas growled again, but rose from his crouched-fighting stance.

"We shall escort her, Gelum. No one shall touch her" the quiet yet deep voice spoke up from behind her. That Nox guy had been the one to pull her out of the way.

Gelum's icy eyes travelled to her flustered and angry face to the man behind her. A moment of silence, then "It appears you have taken a liking to this one, Nox." No response. Although by the look that flitted across Gelum's face, he received the answer from Nox's eyes. "Fine, but she _will_ come with us. She is much too valuable to be left here." Eyes slid back to her. A tense silence, then Gelum turned and began walking down the curving pebbled beach; around towards thicker oaks and willows that were all several stories taller than the water fall on the far side of the lake. She guessed they had been here undisturbed for at least a century to look so majestic.

A light touch on her bruised arm pulled her from her thoughts. Lukas looked at her sadly and tilted his head in the direction Gelum had begun walking, two out of the five other men behind him.

She huffed out "I don't get much of a choice now, do I?" The other three men of the intruding were still standing off to the side, just watching her. Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, she started shuffling the way Gelum lead with Lukas to her left and Nox behind and slightly to the right. The last three joined on the end of the train. She didn't miss the fact that they had all positioned themselves in a way that she couldn't make a run for it. We'll see about that…

"Lucy…" His voice was smaller than she'd heard it and lacked the upbeat cockiness he'd expressed all day. Brown eyes travelled to Lukas on her left. His head was bent where his eyes were overshadowed by his blonde bangs. "I can't apologize enough for keeping you around to be…. Caught…. By clan members. They weren't supposed to have returned for another two days." He spoke softly, but the last statement held so much venom as he looked up, the anger darkening those golden orbs was a little frightening. Those eyes then flew to Nox who she then noticed was also carrying her bag.

"Don't worry about me, Lukas. I'll figure out a way to get out of here and back to my guild."

"There are many reasons to worry…" Lucy scowled at him. Silence fell. She wasn't sure how long they trudged along and at this point, she really wasn't sure how much longer they had to go because they were still following the curving beach although she could see the camp they had been at almost parallel across the lake form her. A small sandy clearing was just ahead of them now. _That's it! Just a little further_….. She felt Nox shift a touch closer to her side…._ Almost there…. NOW!_

She dropped to a crouch, swinging her leg out to catch Nox's ankle, but he wasn't there anymore. She didn't stop the movement though, continuing the twist up to kick one of the guards behind her and caught him in the gut, sending him flying several feet back into a tree. She had a partial second to admire the power she had produced and the technique she had just used, all thanks to training with Natsu, before she whipped around to face the others who had begun charging towards her only to find them all paused in motion. On closer inspection they hadn't actually stopped moving, they were all just severely slowed down, the hands stretched towards her vibrating with the men's efforts to reach her.

"I would take this chance to run, Lucy. Once we reach Saevio, you won't have any more chances to escape the clan." Nox's quiet voice emanated from behind her.

Without turning, she asked "Why would you help me? Aren't these your comrades?"

"You don't deserve the treatment you will receive if we reach Saevio. Now run." Without looking back she bolted at full speed through the trees, leaping over roots, logs and boulders while ducking low hanging branches and spider webs. With air wheezing through her throat she kept running, didn't even flinch when some branches scraped her legs like thorns and tore at her clothes while leaves tangled themselves in her hair.

It wasn't long before she heard growling and rustling coming up behind her and kicking her heart beat up another notch with fear and adrenaline. _They're really fast_… she swore and ducked another branch before making a quick change in direction when one growl was too close to her left.

A small fissure ahead and she snapped her whip out to catch onto a thicker tree limb and then she was swinging through the air with wind whistling loudly in her ears before landing hard on the other side. There was a sharp twinge in her ankle and she stumbled but kept moving. Another sound on her left and she turned right again. Then suddenly one of the three men who had been lined up behind her while walking launched himself at her from above as if he had been running through the tree tops, arms outstretched to tackle her but he grabbed thin air as she dropped and skidded beneath him. With rocks abrading her soft skin, it was a wonder she wasn't dizzy yet from lack of oxygen or loss of blood. With every move she made a small spattering of the red liquid was sent flying at the trees and brush around her.

Light ahead of her and she thought she was out of the forest, only to run face first into a hard mass of something she couldn't identify at first. Then arms of steel wrapped around her, though they were much softer than Gajeel's embrace, they were still solid and unmoving no matter how much she thrashed about.

"Shhh, calm down woman." She didn't, but thrashed harder at the sound of the others bursting through the trees. The bands of steel around her tightened and she choked for air. She only stopped when she realized each movement mashed her breasts harder into a muscled abdomen and had a very big erection pressed to her stomach. She gasped and choked on air again.

"Saevio!" Lukas's voice rang over the clearing she now knew the area to be. "Lucy!" She tried arching away from the hard body holding her captive but froze when the effort only pressed the erection more firmly into her stomach.

"Will you stop struggling, _Lucy_?" The deep, sultry voice of the hard body entrapping her said, the sound reverberating through his chest and abdomen through her breasts and chest.

Panting again, she allowed her body to go limp and her head to fall on her captor's chest in defeat. "I give up." She whispered hoarsely. Of course, she wouldn't let it be defeat for very long. She couldn't let herself be captured otherwise she wouldn't be able to see Natsu before he left on another mission… Tears welled in her brown eyes at the thought of not seeing the boisterous salmon haired man again, but she blinked them away._ I can't cry about that now. I need to find a way to get out of here… But while I can't move, I might as well try to find out why these men tried to retain and chase me..._

"That's a good girl." He whispered and pushed her back a little so she stood by herself but not enough that her breasts stopped pressing into his chest or that she would, by chance, break his hold. _So this was Saevio?_ An ash-blonde head peered down at her with stormy slate grey eyes that were somehow even more intense than Gelum's had been. He was so tall her own height didn't even reach his collar bone, and he exuded so much power that she would have fallen to the ground had he not held her. _How could I not have noticed this powerful aura before?_ With that stupid thought she wanted to smack herself in the face. She hadn't noticed him because she had been too scared out of her wit from being chased that she hadn't paid attention to that sort of thing. _Damnit!_

"Please don't hurt her, Saevio." She heard a scuffing noise, as if someone had made a move to step forward.

"What gave you that impression, Lukas?" Silence reigned. This _Saevio_ person turned his attentions back to her, pupils expanded and nostrils flaring. He brought his hand to her face, caressing her cheek and moving it through her golden locks, combing the leaves out that had been caught in her attempted escape.

"Gelum. He wishes for the clan to claim her. We cannot!"

Saevio hummed in thought then leant down, burying his face in her neck just like Natsu did when he was too drunk to stand on his own, and inhaled her scent just like Gelum had done at the campsite she and Lukas had first made. She couldn't move and didn't breathe. "She is neither claimed nor has she been touched. A most beautiful virgin." She grimaced and tried pulling away, but his arms would not budge. The ash-blonde man chuckled and she could feel the other men's heavy gazes on her body again, could sense the grins pulling at their lips. "So why should we not claim her, Lukas? Pray tell what can stop us from claiming her?"

"She already has an intended, as I am sure you can scent on her skin and clothing." What the hell was Lukas saying?

"That does not matter. She bears no mating mark and no scent of entitlement. She is free to be claimed!" Gelum's cruel voice objected.

"What the _hell_ are you guys talking about? And someone better answer me this time!" Again, attention returned to her and her body trembled from the anger washing though her.

"It appears my comrades wish to have you and from all the trouble you have caused them, I might let them have what they want." What did that mean?

"What do you mean by claim?" She kept her voice from quaking and her chin from quivering, trying to hold onto her anger so she wouldn't freeze up like she had when Gelum had studied her.

"You know what a Dragon-Slayer is, yes?" Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. _No way are all of them dragon slayers. Possibly one or two but not all!_ She'd never seen, heard of or met more than three, and that was Natsu, Gajeel and Levy, her guild mates. "I see you recognize the term. You should know then that Dragon-Slayer mages were raised by the ancient beasts of our title and taught the magic of the dragons themselves, so much so that we inherit not just their magic, but also their natural instincts. Each one of us has a certain mate too, one who you might call a 'soul mate' or 'wife'. We can choose to mate with whoever we want. It is not based off of appearance or personality, as humans do, but rather on the scent a person carries. That scent only appeals to one Slayer, but you, my dear, have a delicious scent that calls to all of us for some strange reason." Well, that explains why they all had practically kidnapped her. She was seriously disturbed by the desire that had cloaked Saevio's eyes and darkened them. All the men made sounds of agreement.

"What do you want with me then?"

"Why, one of us shall claim you for our mate, Lucy. You are destined to be a Slayer's mate, proven by how you draw all of us to you. Even better is that you are not yet claimed, strange though that you have not been. "

As he spoke, she had worked her hand up between their bodies, rage boiling her blood and slapped him now, shouting "I don't even know you! There is no way I am going to be a wife or mate or anything to any of you beasts!" Who the hell did they think they were that they could make her be one of their mates?! That was why she had run from home in the first place, so she could find someone she chose to love, not forced to be with!

Saevio's expression deadened voice flat. "For that, you no longer get the choice of who to be mated with. All my men shall have you where ever they want, however they want and shall do whatever they want to you, after I have had the chance to punish you."

"Saevio! Please don't do this, it'll ruin her!" Lukas ran towards her, trying to pull her from Saevio's arms. Said man turned and a menacing roar erupted from his throat causing everyone in the area to cringe back and the sky to burst with thunder. Fury emanated from him as he backhanded Lukas away, shoving Lucy to the ground and stalking towards Lukas as the boy scrambled away. He punched Lukas in the face with a snarl on his own and brought his knee to the boy's stomach, folding him over before dropping him to the dirt as well.

"YOU WILL NOT DEFY ME! I AM THE LEADER OF THIS CLAN, THE STRONGEST HERE AND NO ONE SHALL CHALLENGE ME!" Saevio continued to beat Lukas until the boy had a black eye, split lip and probably several bruises, if not broken bones. She was disgusted to see the other men just stand around and watch, doing nothing to stop Lukas from being beaten. She couldn't say anything for herself though; because there wasn't anything she could do to help. When Saevio had punched Lukas the first time she had reached for her keys to call Loke, but the Zodiac's gate hadn't opened, none of the gates did. And she was full on panicking now. That had never happened before, meaning something had to be blocking her magic. "Do not worry about your magic, Lucy. I had to stop you from interfering; otherwise you would have received worse castigation than he is getting now." That quiet voice, this time from her right. Nox.

"If you won't let me help him, then why don't you?" She sobbed. "He's your friend, your comrade, your _nakama_, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is like a brother to me. But there is nothing I can do for him right now. Once Saevio is in a rage, there is no stopping him until he decides to settle."

"I don't care about that! He's being hurt because of me!"

"You can do nothing about it, not without your magic and even then your spirits won't have any effect on him."

She ignored him and began stumbling towards the two _dragon slayers_, could hear Nox calling out to her but she continued to ignore him._ I can't let Lukas be hurt because he was trying to protect me…_ Saevio had his back to her and he continued to beat the boy, oblivious to Lucy. That is until she cracked her whipped, having it wrap around Saevio's throat and yanking on the leather causing the man to plunge to the clay soil on his back. She could sense the shock deriving from the men around the clearing at what she'd done. _Did no one stand up to this guy? He's such a jerk!_ The jerk stood and clutched at the leather wound around his next, snarling ferociously at her. She growled back at him. The sky flashed with lightening and roared with thunder as the wind picked up to a bellowing gust raking through the trees and pulling at the clothes and hair of everyone in the clearing.

His eyes flashed and he began wrenching her towards him by jerking on the whip that now connected them. When she was close enough, she launched her foot at side of his knee, knocking him to the ground on that knee. Somehow, he punched her in the gut and swept her feet out from bellow her and she landed hard with the air forced out of her lungs.

"LUCY!" Lukas had called to her. Saevio stood and tore her whip in two and she watched the pieces slowly descend to the ground, as if in slow motion.

"You, woman, shall regret that." The growl held so much ire that she believed him; she already regretted this whole short cut idea. He advanced on her but Lukas was in front of her again in a fighting stance and growling like a feral animal. That is until Saevio lifted his arm skyward. A stream of lightning ruptured form the sky directly to Lukas. The boy screamed and screamed and screamed as his body spasmed and tensed with agony. She cried and screamed out to him, but her voice was muted by the thunder that followed. She didn't know how long it lasted, but when the lightening finally disappeared, Lukas collapsed to the ground, his hair and clothing singed, eyes blank and his body lightly charred. She was crying now, sobbing loudly and crawling to Lukas's body. His heart was still beating. _Thank Mavis_! But he had so many injuries….

Saevio was suddenly behind her, yanking her head back by her blonde hair and got right in her face. "You will suffer worse than he has for intervening." Not a warning, not a threat. A promise. He heaved her to her feet by the hair again and threw her over his shoulder. She struggled and thrashed about again, punching his back and kicking at his stomach, but it had no effect on him as he began marching away from the clearing, barking orders over his shoulder to take the aberrant boy back to their home and not to interrupt him or go near the waterfall cave for several days.

Lucy continued to scream at him and struggle to get away, all he did was slap her ass once, the noise echoing through the trees and stinging her flesh. She made no more noise after that.

In no time they were back at the lake and walking behind the waterfall she had admired earlier and into a dark cave that was slightly illuminated towards the back by bluer crystals than the ones from the alcove.

Lucy was thrown to the ground and sent rolling along the smooth stone floor of the cavern. When she tried to clamber away, chafing her knees and the palms of her hands, Saevio's foot collided with her stomach and sent her flying into the stone wall, causing some of the crystals to stab into her back before she fell to the ground in a heap, clutching at her stomach.

"Fitting punishment for kicking Sylva earlier, no?" His voice boomed off the walls. "Now for the rest of your castigation." He came towards her and she scrambled back, hitting the wall again and feeling blood and sweat trickle down the length of her spine. When she drew out her keys to call a Spirit, he snatched them from her and threw them away. She watched with horror in her eyes as they fell out of the cave entrance and into the rapids at the base of the waterfall.

**A/N: Warning - this next part is not suitable for young people. You have been warned**

"No….. NO! Don't touch me!" The sound of tearing clothes echoed through the cold, hollow cavern. Her shirt and skirt, already torn to shreds were ripped from her, followed by her bra. When she screamed he slapped her, when she batted his hands away from her body he punched her in the stomach. Then his shirt was gone and he was removing his pants. The sound of the buckle being undone and the zipper being pulled down only increased the feeling of dread in her. She backed up as far as she could, pressing into the wall and wishing she could dissolve into the stone and crystal behind her.

He stalked forward, completely naked and fully erect with an impressive length. Her eyes flitted about the grotto, searching frantically for escape, looking anywhere but at him and pressing harder into the wall.

Saevio grabbed the ankle she had sprained while running, causing it to twinge in pain and squeezing it tightly enough that her foot began tingling from loss of blood.

He hauled her body over and beneath him, then his hands were all over her body, looking at her with lusty eyes and touching everything she had never shown another person, what she was saving to share with someone she loved. Tears welled and escaped her eyes in rivers, traveling down her cheeks, into her hair and dripping onto the grit below.

"Stop, please! No!" She hit at him and tried to kick at him, but he pinned both her hands above her head with one of his and used his other to wrench her thighs apart and sliding his hips between them so she could no longer close her thighs, the base of his erection pressing into her panties with the tip resting almost to her navel. She was terrified and was sure she had never felt this scared for herself or for anyone else in her entire life. Her heart was beating so fast it skipped several beats at a time, her panting changed to hyperventilating and choking on the air trying to get to her lungs.

When he ground his pelvis into hers and groaned in pleasure, she'd never felt more disgusted. This was actually happening.

"Please, please don't do this. I'm sorry, please don't do this." She wept. His grin was cruel when he squeezed her left breast hard enough that it bulged it between his fingers and she cried out, lips widening further when he removed it to find a purpling bruise of his handprint forming. He pinched her right nipple so sharply that she screeched in pain. His lips smashed on hers and forced his tongue inside in a harsh, dominating kiss that she couldn't turn away from. His hand was sliding down her side to squeeze her hip as he shifted his unforgiving mouth to one nipple, circling it with his tongue before biting it and sucking it into his mouth. She whimpered in pain and squirmed to get away, but it was no use. The tears kept coming, hot and streaming. _Natsu… Save me…_. She knew he wouldn't come though, couldn't come save her. He was too busy with his team and didn't know the details of her mission or the situation she was in now.

Saevio ground into her again and the hand on her hip dug into her skin, clutching harder. She felt his nails dig in and claw at her, she called out but he shoved his tongue down her throat again, causing her to gag. He ground into her again then ripped her panties away, dragging claws down her sides and leaving scratches to slowly well with blood.

She knew exactly what he was about to do when she felt the tip of his penis shift from her stomach to line up at her entrance. _No!_ She bucked her hips and bowed her back in attempts to get him off and away.

"Natsu! Natsu!" She screamed hysterically.

He laughed then. "I assume that is your Dragon-Slayer back home? Too bad, because he won't be able to save you now." He thrust forward, cock piercing through her virgin wall and over stretching her. She gasped and cringed in pain as the stretch became too much for her vaginal walls to handle as they split and ripped inside her. Lucy shrieked and screamed to the heavens, calling for her Natsu, for anyone as Saevio hummed in pleasure and pounded into her without hesitation or remorse. She never stopped bucking and thrashing to get away and for that he continued to beat her as he fucked her and she was sure at this point he had broken at least two of her ribs if not more.

He continued to claw at her too, drawing blood and painting her body with it as his hands continued their groping and his body slid along and inside the length of hers.

His hips whipped faster and faster into her, balls flogging her ass with force. She didn't know how long it continued but never once stopped writhing or screaming, not even when he continuously punched, smacked and clawed her, all the while grinning and laughing at her pain and groaning with his stolen pleasure.

When his thrusts turned frantic and began falling out of rhythm, he melded his lips to hers again with more bruising force before trailing down her neck. His cock inside her jerked and he roared his release as she felt hot liquid spurt inside her sickeningly. She cried harder and jerked under him when he sunk his teeth into the top of one breast. A rapid burning spread over her chest from the wound and electrified her nerves. Wheezing through a raw throat, she gasped and stopped breathing altogether as the pain in her chest erupted to something far more than her body could handle.

"Natsu…" The last word to leave her lips in a hoarse whisper as stars flitted across her vision and a blanket of darkness was pulled over her…. Blissful darkness where she would no longer be able to feel the pain or think about what he had done to her, what had had taken from her.

One last thing penetrated the darkness before she fell completely into unconsciousness. "Don't get too comfortable, _Lucy_, because I am nowhere near done with you." A dark chuckle and everything was quiet…. For now.

**A/N: hopefully this chapter shall satisfy you guys. And I truly am sorry for bring this chapter out later than I promised. I dunno when I'll have the next chapter up, but hopefully soon. Please R&R :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: hey guys, I've finally gotten this chapter up and ready for you. I'm so sorry it took so long, but here it is**

It had been a week since the guild celebrated the return of Team Natsu, a week since the night a salmon haired mage had gotten drunk in attempts to pass the time. Everything following that, in Natsu's perspective, had started that first day when he'd awakened the morning after the drunken celebration to find Lucy not by his side like she would be when he slept over (usually unannounced). Aside from the areas he had obviously been in while at her apartment the previous night, the rest of the flat was untouched. So she hadn't returned home yet. The pinkette had rushed to the guild soon after, but the blonde had been nowhere in sight nor were there any new traces of her strawberries and stardust scent.

He'd figured she might have just been delayed another day, the thought supported by many of the other guild members. However he couldn't fully believe that line of reasoning because a light ache had started in his chest, an ache he had caught himself rubbing at several times that day while thinking of Lucy. It had given him a very uneasy feeling about the Celestial mage and her well-being.

Throughout that day he had been so easily irritated because of that ache, which was out of character for him. He'd even caught himself yelling at some of his _nakama_ for reasons Erza usually grouched at them for. Of course he had apologized straight away, but after that everyone had given him a wide birth while silently worrying about him, especially when he hadn't taken Gray up on his challenge or retaliated when Gajeel had verbally insulted him.

Natsu hadn't slept that night, not at his place nor at Lucy's, though he had felt calmer and the ache had dulled when he had been at her place surrounded by her things.

By the second day, Natsu had glared at everything and hardly spoke a word to anyone, hadn't even looked at his brawl buddies when he'd drifted into the guild to speak with Mira. Hearing that Lucy still had yet to return had caused the ache to deepen into a painful throbbing sensation that wouldn't let him sit still. So the bartender had watched as the pinkette had left the guild in favour of the forest to train, without his feline friend, Happy, who had stayed with Wendy and Charle because of his behaviour changing and becoming a bit more aggressive than normal. He hadn't wanted to hurt his exceed by accident, so they had both agreed that it would be best if Happy stayed with the girls for a few days.

Upon his return later that night, and finding that Lucy still had not returned, the slightest mention of the blonde from anyone had Natsu tensing and cracking his beer mug within his fist. The glass cut into his hand but he didn't feel it, the throbbing in his chest drowning out all other senses.

That was when Erza had confronted him about his strange conduct and asked him outright why he was so desperate to see Lucy. He himself wasn't sure why, just that he had to see her, have her by his side without any other man near her. Erza had continued her rant, telling him not to worry about Lucy, that she could take care of herself which Natsu already knew from experience.

Following that, Erza had made the mistake of suggesting how Lucy might have been caught up because she'd met someone. That was when Natsu's vision had tinted red and the hall had suddenly become trashed. Just the thought of Lucy being with another man, in any way, drove him further into the abyss and caused the ache to spike sharply, painfully and seeming to scream **'Mine'** over and over within his conscious mind. It was so loud it was a wonder no one else could hear it. For him, it was the only thing he could hear above the boiling blood searing his veins and scorching his insides.

When the red haze had faded, Natsu found himself chained to one of the only posts left unmarked. The sight before him was deplorable; there was not a single table or chair left intact, even the bar top was cracked again (Mira had had it fixed the following morning of the bar brawl and party). Not to mention that Erza's armour now had several dents which was shocking in and of itself because no one had ever seen it dented before and that Gray, Gajeel and several others had bruises all over them that were not the result of a regular bar fight at the Fairy Tail guild.

After everything had calmed somewhat by the third day was when the guild decided a meeting was in order to discuss the issue of Natsu's fierce anger while Erza and Gray had said fire mage chained to one of the large posts. They'd had to guard the dragon slayer over night while he was chained to the post and had had to knock him out several times to prevent him going into another rampage.

"What are we going to do about this? Natsu has been acting so weird the last couple days."

"That's not obvious at all, Wakaba. But what could we do about it? And what's with the violent outbursts? Especially this recent one. None of them have to do with winning a challenge or anything." Macau.

"That's not manly at all!"

"Actually it is very manly, Elfman. He's acting this way over a woman." Evergreen said smugly.

"You're talking about him and Lucy? I didn't think they were like that." Gray.

"How could you not have known? It was so obvious that they had a thing for each other." Bixlow. "It's obvious, it's obvious, it's obvious!" Bixlow's doll babies sang.

"But Natsu? With a girl? I don't believe that. He's never been attracted to anyone of the opposite sex before and the only thing he's really keen for is getting into mischief and fights. Besides, even if he was interested in someone now, there's no way he'd be able to get a girl before I do!"

"Gray, the proof is right next to you. Have you ever seen Natsu behave like this? No, no one inside or outside the guild has. The only plausible reason he could be acting like this is because of Lucy, whether he himself realises that it's coming from a feeling more than friendship yet or not." Cana.

"Now that I think about it, has anyone else noticed that since Lucy joined the guild, Natsu's destruction rate has picked up a lot more than it used to be?" Mira thought out loud and a low growl from Natsu at the mention of the blonde had everyone turning to look at him with confused expressions. Natsu's face was contorted in anger but overshadowed by his bangs, though the fury emanated from him in waves. He was also still passed out.

"Obviously it didn't help that Erza and Gray joined his team shortly after that too…." Cana had everyone in the room grimacing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Following that, a smack boomed over the crowd followed by a stern "Shut up Gray" from Erza.

"That would be because Natsu was unconsciously staking his claim towards bunny girl. I can't have been the only one to notice that he scared off any other men she might have dated or hung around outside the guild." Gajeel had been slouched in the corner with Pantherlily at his side.

"Really? I just always thought he was being overprotective of her because they were best friends." Gray had everyone shaking their heads at his thickheadedness. And they all thought Natsu was the dense one. Well he had a rival in denseness.

This was when they began discussing who, besides Lucy, would be able to talk to Natsu once he awakened. The guild had picked Lisanna for the task; seeming convinced that she would have been the one to reach him due to their childhood friendship and their supposed romance upon her return from Edolas.

"What about Lisanna? Can't she talk to Natsu once he has calmed down to keep him cool?" Gray.

"I can try, but I'm not sure it will work..." Lisanna's soft voice was unsure.

"Come now, you two have been really close for a long time, so of course he will listen to you." Erza wrapped her arm around the girl's slender shoulders and started to bring her towards the chained mage.

"But Erza-"

"No buts, just talk with him like you usually do."

"But we're not like that, Erza…" She murmured to herself. The re-quip mage deposited the Strauss sibling in front of Natsu who had by now slowly roused awake with fuming eyes set at half-mast. When Lisanna had begun talking to him, trying to communicate with him, he gave no response and showed no sign of having heard her.

She had looked hesitant about what to do, and then had reached out to him, saying his name. She was planning on doing something similar to her test from a few days ago, but obviously not as intimate as the test had been.

He had lifted his head, finally showing some response with nose twitching as he scented the air, scented her. A smile pulled at her lips, but before her hand could reach him, he snapped. Jerking against the chains that held him, causing them to bite and dig into his skin but that didn't faze him. He'd lashed out at her growling and snarling.

The only thing that had prevented Lisanna from taking the brunt of his violence had been Erza, who'd shoved the white haired girl away from him. He hadn't hurt anyone, but he'd managed to nick Titania's armour with his claws and put another dent into her right shoulder blade panel. If he had been his usual self, he probably would have whooped in a small victory. No one was ever able to dent the re-quip mages armour.

But he hadn't hollered in victory because following that was when the first images began flashing through his mind, images depicting Lucy in pain, Lucy covered with blood, Lucy with cruel, unforgiving hands all over her body. The ache began spreading throughout his body, screaming at him to kill anyone who touched his Luce. The screaming of **'mine'** began in his head again, even more furious than before and he roared at the guild making everyone jump and refocus on him. Veins had stuck out over his inner forearms and biceps, with one straight down his forehead that had looked ready to rupture.

Red had winked over his vision again and the images had moved faster, like a movie on fast forward. His whole body had tensed, overwrought with pain and antagonism. The chains that bound him had dug further into his strained muscles and pinched the skin in several places. He'd roared again, louder and longer, which had caused Gajeel, Laxus and Wendy to cringe at the offending sound that'd scraped at their sensitive ears. Then he'd strained and jerked harder against the chains. The post he'd been bound to begin groaning under the pressure and everyone had braced themselves for another confrontation with the slayer.

The chains had snapped with a ringing crack and suddenly Natsu had disappeared, moving so rapidly that he was a blur to everyone. Gajeel's growl had turned everyone's attention to the right. There was a grunt and Gajeel had been sent flying across the room head first into the wall following which had been a loud clang as Natsu re-appeared going claw to sword with Erza. That hadn't lasted long either as he'd also thrown her aside to barrel through everyone else and burst out the hall doors.

Natsu had retraced every last step he knew Lucy had taken, following what remained of her scent all over Magnolia no matter how faint it now was, tearing things apart and accidentally setting things on fire. Then he'd followed it out to the edges of town and set fire to the brush and forest edge when duelling several guild mates. He'd knocked them down easily, this time without too much bodily harm as he hadn't stuck around to continue fighting and moved onto the next town, repeating the process with Gajeel, Erza and Gray on his tail, as well as Laxus and the _Raijinshuu_ at the request of the master (Makarov).

Natsu had torn through the neighbouring towns, tearing down building after building and setting fire to anything and everything, by then it was on purpose as he tore down the buildings. To many people, he had become a walking nightmare. It was at that point that the Magic Council had intervened, or at least tried to, but nothing they had done or attempted to do had any effect on the fury filled dragon slayer though.

The _nakama_ following his detrimental trail had eventually caught him at the third town over, managing to detain him in one of Fried's Runic Traps until they'd been able to move him onto a train carriage. That was the only thing they could think of using to suppress his destructive magic in a confined space and hold him, but that only occurred after everyone who had tailed him had taken him on all at once.

Fortunately for them, they accomplished shoving him in one of the infirmary rooms upon a forced return to Magnolia to be re-trapped by Fried's magic. No one in the guild had believed it, but no matter how much damage four of the strongest mages in the guild had caused, none of them had been able to defeat, let alone knock out Natsu during his blind rage across the cities. The train ride hadn't even knocked him to his knees. In fact, he had fought even harder on the train. It was unbelievable to everyone who saw it, especially those who knew what Natsu was like when on any sort of transportation.

So the infirmary was where he now stood after four days of tearing the country side and cities apart. He punched the barrier, his muscled body tensing and relaxing, tensing and relaxing. The skin on his knuckles should have split a while ago as the knuckles themselves should have cracked and broken. But they hadn't, didn't because dragon scales had risen all over his body several days ago. That had only happened once before when he had eaten etherion to defeat an at-the-time-evil Jellal.

Now it occurred for a different reason, one without the need for food to prompt the reaction. And it obviously had something to do with the fact that Lucy had been missing the entire week that Natsu had slowly sunk into a raging mess.

_Lucy…_. Natsu ground his teeth together as he paced the confined space his _nakama_ had put him in, like a caged animal gone feral. He swung his fist out again and growled. Although his fist didn't go through the Runic barrier, the force behind the blow emerged physically by splintering and cracking the opposing wall several feet away in a large, circular dent. The sound was ear-splitting, but he paid no heed to it as the pain in his chest intensified.

The images began flashing through his mind and he howled to the heavens, hands clutching at his head tightly enough that his claws dug into his scalp and caused blood to matt his hair and run down his face as his eyes rolled back in his head.

All he could see were hands on her body, claws tearing her delicate flesh and her reaching out to him, begging for help. But he couldn't take her hand and couldn't help her. The rage that had consumed him slowly began to blacken as the images kept repeating themselves, becoming more intimate with her body and driving him into further disarray.

Natsu roared in pain and launched himself at the barrier, hitting it over and over. The frustration of not being able to find or see his Luce was killing him; he could feel each hour dragging by as the pain dug itself deeper into his heart and spreading throughout his body. It was so far along that the agony had practically taken over his entire self and was even now reaching for his soul.

It had only been just over a week ago that he had seen Lucy due to the mission he had taken with his Team, and it had been a week since the pain had started. The pinkette couldn't understand it. He had been away from Lucy for longer periods of time because of his missions with Gray, Erza, Happy and Lisanna and they had all been without experiencing any sort of gut-wrenching and heart aching torment from being separated from the Celestial mage.

So what had changed? There was no difference in his relationship with Lucy since she had left the Team for the rest of them to catch up with Lisanna, other than her actually leaving the Team and nothing else had changed within the guild either. Everything continued as it always has; celebrating as much as possible, brawling and drinking until well after dark and just having so much fun in general.

Could it then be something had changed with Lucy? He had noticed (and complained) about the blonde spending less and less time at the guild hall, however he wasn't worried about her quitting the guild because she loved Fairy Tail too much to let anything or anyone make her leave. No, nothing had changed too much for Lucy. Except for this most recent mission she had taken and hadn't returned from.

The images flashed through his mind again and he groaned, hating that he had to see such vile things done to his Luce. But now that he thought about it, they were much too real for his subconscious to have generated and besides that, he wouldn't have fashioned such thoughts of her in pain or crying with another man's hands on her. If these images were spawned by his own fantasies, it would have been his hands all over her body, his lips on her creamy skin and it would have been him giving her all the pleasure, not pain, that she could take and much more.

So why? Why were these things sporadically flashing and repeating within his mind? There was no way they could actually be happening to Lucy, he couldn't, wouldn't believe it was happening. He'd kill anyone who touched her without her consent and he'd do much worse to those who hurt her. Besides that, if these things were actually being done to her, how could he know about it? He wasn't psychic or telepathic or whatever, as his _nakama_ Warren was and he couldn't make predictions as Cana could.

So what the f*ck was happening? It was so frustrating, not knowing where Lucy was and what was happening to her yet sensing there was something wrong. He bellowed his frustration and rammed the barrier. He just kept bashing it, his attacks fiercer and more powerful with each strike, but the barrier didn't break.

_I have to get to Luce, I have to find her!_

**A/N: as I said before, I really am sorry for taking so long with this chapter. It's another short one but was so hard to write cause my mind kept jumping ahead to scenes that have yet to happen…. So this chapter has to be, like, the worst I have written so far, but oh well. It had to be there to kind of help use up the timeline of events. But anyways, since I'm on holidays, I should have the next chapter up before school, but I don't know. Please R&R, I love feedback from you :3**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: hey guys. Again, I'm sorry about the long wait for this chapter. My holidays are over and I got caught up reading fanfic stories rather than writing this one and school is now two weeks in…. Oops. Anyways, I have taken special care to make (attempt to make, at least) this a longer chapter for you, so here it is**

_Last Time:_

_"Natsu…" The last word to leave her lips in a hoarse whisper as stars flitted across her vision and a blanket of darkness was pulled over her…. Blissful darkness where she would no longer be able to feel the pain or think about what he had done to her, what had had taken from her._

_One last thing penetrated the darkness before she fell completely into unconsciousness. "Don't get too comfortable, Lucy, because I am nowhere near done with you." A dark chuckle and everything was quiet…. For now._

And Now:

When Lucy had awoken, she hadn't been sure how much time had passed. The light that had filtered into the cavern had been at the point where it could have been either sunrise or sunset, so she hadn't been sure. For all she knew Saevio may have been lenient enough to let her sleep the day away after his… torture, although she had doubted it. Meaning, it had been only a few short hours maximum since she'd passed out.

When she'd tried to sit up, pain had lanced through her entire body, forcing air to hiss between her teeth with a pained intake of breath. Tears had brimmed her eyes as she'd slowly rolled onto her back, already panting with the effort of moving her abused body. She'd then wiggled or attempted to move each part of her body, starting with her toes and working her way up, discovering and examining what hurt, what she felt but couldn't move and so on. There were many places that ached from bruising all over her body and a couple of bones she guessed were either fractured or outright broken. There was one place though, right at the apex of her thighs that had a dulled ache that she'd felt throbbing throughout her body. She could barely feel it, although she knew it would hurt the most out of all her injuries if she moved any more.

She groaned, throat still raw from the previous night's terror, as a single tear fell down her bruised cheek, bringing her hands to her mouth and muffling the sob that followed. She'd been ruined, her dreams of giving a pure body to the man she loved trashed. The moment she gave away her virginity was supposed to be special, something she would want to remember for the rest of her life but now it would be something that haunted her as it had been forcefully beaten and taken from her.

"Ah, finally awake I see, Lucy. About time you did. Do you know how long you had me waiting? I might have to punish you for that too." That dreaded voice echoed, causing her to tremble with undulated fear as she squeezed her eyes shut. She'd never felt so scared in her life, especially now that she knew what he planned to do and just how much worse it would become.

"I love that you are already positioned for me." The voice was closer and she couldn't move, couldn't escape. She couldn't summon any help from the Celestial world either because her magic didn't work without her keys which were sunk beneath the waterfall hiding the caves gaping entrance. It didn't stop her from trying though.

A roughened hand slid along her foot to her calf, the sordid touch almost caressing but slimy. Her body shook harder as another sob escaped her. She tried shuffling away, but her disjointed limbs wouldn't support her, the pain spiking harshly within her and making her collapse into herself with an aggrieved cry.

"Aw, don't be like that Lucy; we're going to have a lot more fun, you and I." Saevio had grinned evilly before gripping her knees tightly and jerking her battered form beneath him. Another pained cry rang out, followed by many, many more before she'd decided there was no point screaming. It only caused another part of her body to ache and increased their pleasure.

* * *

That had been a week ago. Since that first night, Lucy's life had become worse than a nightmare; it was a living hell in which there was no escape from the torture or pain inflicted on her. She couldn't even escape into her own mind because the abuse dealt by each member of the clan to take her so far continuously dragged her back to reality, a place she no longer wished to be.

She'd also stopped fighting it by the second time Saevio had taken her. There had been no point to really put up a fight. She was already ruined and wasn't able to fend off his brutality because he and all the rest of the clan were too strong for her to push away. Besides that, the majority of them, specifically Saevio, seemed to enjoy it more when she made an effort to make them stop. Either way, they all just smacked her down whether she fought or not and took her body in whatever way they wanted while they abused her.

Within the seven days since she'd been abducted, trapped, raped and beaten, she'd been taken by five other men besides Saevio and they had been Gelum and four of the others that had accompanied him that first night. They had thoroughly enjoyed her unwilling body and had left their personal marks on her body, besides the bruises, claw marks and broken bones that they had adorned her with.

Once having 'sufficiently' staked their claim over her body, they had each bitten her, leaving a brand that had seared her flesh and connected her to each slayer. The mark formed after the bite through the excruciating pain that had at first turned into a nasty looking burn, then a purpling bruise before each changed shape and became the colour of that dragon slayers' eyes, though there remained dark bruising around each mark. Saevio's bite had shaped into a silvery thundercloud on her left breast, while Gelum's had become a pale blue ice crystal below her right breast along her ribs. Umbra, an illusory dragon slayer, had left a purpled spiral on her left hip. Vitrum, a glass dragon slayer had left an opalescent and jagged pearl on her right butt cheek. Pontus, a water dragon slayer, a murky blue tangle that looked similar to waves on her right shoulder blade and Sylva, a forest dragon slayer, had left a green lilac on the inside of her left thigh.

Oh Mavis, the pain from the brandings and abuse had been so unbearable; her body had gone completely numb, with only the newly inflicted injuries causing a sharp instant of pain before they too became numbed on her cold body. She couldn't eat, even when the clan members forced food down her throat she gagged and spat it all back up and then some. The lack of food had caused her limbs to become weaker, her physique to thin, loose muscle mass and her cheeks to hallow out. Her skin had paled considerably, becoming pasty without nourishment and was a colour palette of differing shades of purple, black, and yellow from the many bruises she had received. Not to forget the reds and pinks from the many cuts and claw marks that were either deep, fresh or light scrapes across her flesh and the darker reds from her spilt blood.

The worst thing to change that she had noticed in her reflection upon one of her short bathing sessions was that her eyes, once a pair of bright, vibrant and lively chocolate brown orbs, had altered to a dull, dead and dirty brown.

As each day passed and another clan member had their turn to brand her, she had become distant from her physical form, still feeling everything that occurred but not, seeing everything but as if viewing it from a distance too. That was until the seventh day came.

Sylva had completed mating with Lucy and was currently leading the deadened and naked girl out of the forest and towards the clearing beside the waterfall that the clan used as their gathering place. The sun was setting, but she knew that even the darkness of night couldn't shadow her from the prowling eyes of the dragon slayer clan members, many pairs of which she could sense following her nude form hungrily, even when she collapsed to her knees beside Sylva at the centre of the field as the other clan members also began filing into the glade and standing in a semi-circle with Saevio in the centre.

"Welcome back my friend. I trust you fully sated yourself with our mate?" The greeting had those who had already copulated with Lucy smiling, smirking or grinning.

"She was a pleasure to fuck. Big tits are always better to play with." She flinched at the comment and regretted it as the small, jerked motion jostled her sore, bruised breasts. She now sported fresh and darkening bruises over those appendages in the shape of hand prints and hickeys.

Sylva chuckled as the other men made noises of agreement. "So who is next to place their brand on the clans mate?"

"I believe it is Marmor's turn to place his mark." Saevio's voice was teeming with amusement as his stormy eyes shifted from her to said slayer at the end of the line on his right before returning to once again settle on her bowed head.

Marmor was a slayer she had yet to have an… 'Introduction' with so was uncertain as to what slayers art he used, but she assumed it involved something heavy just from looking at his rough exterior. He had a very solid build that seemed only slightly smaller than what Elfman had to be, with dark skin and a cold, expressionless gaze that roamed her battered body. The only light thing about him had to be his hair which consisted of differing lighter shades of brown and possibly blonde or white streaked with gold, silver and bronze. He stepped forward from his flanked position and proceeded towards her while Sylva, eyes gleaming, took his place in the line-up to situate himself beside Pontus with a satisfied air diffusing from him.

When the emotionless man reached her, his hand settled atop her head as his fingers sifted through her now coarse locks to slowly lift her gaze to his. "Rise," his deep bass voice commanded. She didn't and instead remained kneeling, too frozen and pain filled to really move anything let alone stand.

The hand sieving her hair ceased its movement, the pregnable silence suffocating before a light snarl erupted from the dark man's throat. His large calloused hand fisted crudely in her hair. "I said _rise_, woman." Biting her bottom lip at the pain blooming through her scalp was the only reaction the new slayer received.

Before he could wrench her vehemently to her feet before him, a growl reverberated over the clearing as the area darkened, everyone's shadows extending.

"I wish to mark the Celestial woman before Marmor, Saevio." The clan leader had frozen at the baritone, narrowed eyes churning with surprise scanning the glade for the interrupter.

"Nox, what an occurrence this is. You've never taken a liking to any other woman claimed by the clan, nor have you ever interjected in a directive. Why the sudden interest in our woman?"

"As I said, I wish to mark her before Marmor. If I do not, she will perish by his hand from the wounds she already has. Can't be losing your newest mate just yet, can you? She has certainly lasted the longest." Nox finally entered the clearing, or rather slipped from the surrounding trees distorted shadows overcasting the glade and meandered to her side as Marmor released her in favour of facing the shadowy man.

A muscle ticked below Saevio's eye. "Fine, you may mark our mate, if Marmor is willing to trade days with you." Nox's strange eyes travelled lazily to said slayer, almost expectantly.

Marmor stood his ground and stared back just as indifferently, though you could practically see the testosterone and tension flowing between the two. However before a fight came to fruition, Marmor folded, stepping back from her. "I do not mind. Perhaps you could beat the last bit of insolence out of her." Marmor's expressionless scrutiny weighed heavily on her once more downcast form before stalking back to the semi-circle line up.

"It's decided then. You have one day and one night with her before returning to this glade, Nox. Do as you please, but do not take her from our territory, you know the consequences if you do."

"Understood." There was a moment of substantial silence, before one by one the other slayer's took their leave, their eyes never leaving her until they had each fully left the clearing. Nox hadn't moved that entire time and still didn't for a while after. Lucy didn't move either, too afraid that an unintentional movement may cause this slayer to become angered and lash out at her like some of the others had done.

When he did finally shift, he knelt in front of her and lifted her chin with a firm hand, her dead eyes meeting his peculiar night-sky ones. His eyes and hands didn't wander over her curvaceous body which still remained unclothed, only remained glued to her eyes which caused her to feel confused; the first emotion she'd experienced in days. _Why doesn't he wreak havoc on me as the others had?_ A sense of understanding seemed to register in those dark orbs, so she assumed he must have found what he'd been looking for, whatever that was.

Nox gripped her upper arms firmly and then gently lifted the blonde onto her weak legs before sweeping her into his beefy arms. She gasped slightly at the sudden distance between her and the ground, having forgotten just how large this man was. **(A/N: Nox is built like Elfman, remember?).** He cradled her to his expansive chest and began his trek to where ever he was planning to take her.

"Lucy, you do not have to be afraid of me…" His deep baritone rumbled through his chest and into her shoulder. The statement was rather meaningless to her now after all that had happened, so she remained quiet and looked down to her lap where her fingers were splayed over her stomach and the tops of her thighs. She didn't bother to cover herself either. _What was the point? He was just going to tear all coverings from her anyway..._

The sound of ripping cloth and fruitless cries for help rung through her mind and she stiffened, squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep breath. _In. Out_. The sound went away.

The breeze suddenly changed, going from a mild barely there waft of air to a bitter gust that blew matted blonde locks across her pale face and onto Nox's broad chest. Shifting attention from her inner mind and breathing, Lucy beheld the lake; that first one she had seen thanks to Lukas, the one with the waterfall on the far side which her Celestial keys were still submerged under, the alcove, the colourful magic crystals embedded in the stone there and the camp that she had originally prepared with Lukas that she could now see was barely a football field of pebbled beach away. She hadn't noticed just how far Nox had carried her.

When they reached the campsite, Nox set her down against the rock wall that led out into the lake. The air was chillier here than it had been at the glade and the stones pressing into her back were cold as ice, as were the pebbles beneath her; however this frigidity was nothing like the waters Pontus had subjected her fragile body to… Just the thought of the freezing liquid that had gripped her body had her shuddering and practically choking, especially as the water dragon slayer had practically drowned her while having his way with her.

Her skin began forming goose bumps, sending shivers up and down her spine. Nox paused a moment to study her again, yet neither said a thing as the slayer slipped off his shoes and began peeling his black shirt from his muscled torso, though Lucy kept her eyes riveted to a blue-ish pebble that sat beside her toes.

When he was only left in his black jeans, his strong hands once again gripped her forearms and lifted her from the ground to lead her forward as he walked back first towards the water. She would have stumbled over her own fumbling feet if he hadn't been holding her up. The sloshing of water caused her to cringe but when it finally splashed its way over her feet and calves she completely balked at it, rearing back and trying to get away from the cool wetness. The chilled water had instantly sent goose bumps flying up and down her limbs, chills up her spine and had her nipples hardening shamefully as the cold water continued to press against her legs already partially submerged in the water.

There wasn't anything she could do to hide the reaction either as panic surged through her entire being at the thought, feeling and sight of the murky substance. She thrashed harder, but didn't get far however, had barely stepped out of it because of Nox's grasp. His hands tightened when she continued writhing and twisting to get away, her blonde hair flying again. When she began whimpering quietly, his hold softened and led her back out of the water.

"Lucy…" His soft voice was calming. When she kept her head down and away from him, still shuddering, he gripped her chin and forced her gaze to his like he had earlier. "You must calm down, Lucy. I am only leading you to the alcove so you may bathe. Please allow me to help you."

She felt tears begin to fill her eyes but she blinked them back. Opening her mouth to speak, no words would come out at first. She cleared her throat and spoke in a rasping voice that scratched her throat. "I…. I do not want… to go back in the water…"

"I will not allow you to sink into the depths, I will keep you within the shallows and afloat." She felt her lower lip tremble as she shook her head. "I can help you heal, give you strength. Please let me rid you of pain. Come, we will move slowly so you may adjust."

Nox pulled her gently towards the water again and when it was mere centimetres from her toes, she resisted, but the slayer pulled her leisurely into the depths. Her eyes squeezed shut. Her breathing became slightly erratic as her heart beat increased its pace when she felt the clear substance begin to engulf her shins inch by inch. She couldn't seem to get enough air.

"Lucy, stay with me." The demand for her attention was growled at her and she jumped, eyes wide and solely focused on his shadowy pair. "You must breathe." The hands on her upper arms squeezed reassuringly, reminding her that she wasn't sinking into the deep, dark depths of the lake. She wasn't being consumed by the water. Deep breath in, slow breath out. _In. Out_. Her breathing slowed and her heart rate piped down to a normal rhythm.

"That's it; now keep your eyes on me." Nox took another step back, following the shallow shelf along the rock wall and pulled her along with him step by agonizing step. She did as he said and kept her eyes on his, now barely noticing that the water was at knee level. They reached the end of the wall and turned, continuing pace by short pace as they had been doing the last ten minutes.

When the water became deeper, her breathing picked up again, heart beat piquing sharply when something brushed her hip. She jolted, a squeal pushing its way through her raw throat as she then missed a step and began falling into the water, away from the rock barrier or anything that could keep her afloat. Her panic levels shot through the roof, no thought rising in her mind as her vision tunnelled until all she saw was the darkened waters swallowing her and could only feel her lungs constrict from lack of oxygen.

The water splashed away from her falling form and sloshed back at her, the resulting waves seeming to latch onto her flesh and drag her down… Until something wrenched her back right and against something warm and solid.

"Breath, I've got you." Nox… He had pulled her back onto the shelf and into his arms. Her head was well below his collar bone due to how tall she was compared to him, so she buried her face in his chest._ In. Out_. She peeked out to the side and realized they were surrounded by the large green lily pads she had discovered the first time she had bathed here. Oh Mavis she had become so pathetic, too scared to even bathe in shallow waters and so easily frightened by simple greenery… Her eyes brimmed with tears again. In reality she was have stumbled a few short inches, not fully fallen over.

When she stopped trembling, the slayer took another step back and continued on, wading through the lily pads and water towards the large stone at the end of the alcove beside the small cascade of water. When they came to the end, Nox released her beside the boulder, keeping one hand on her arm to make sure she was steadied.

"Now that we are here, you may bathe and relax. I want you to take as long as you need." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small corked bottle of what she guessed was soap. He placed the small oval-y bottle in her hand and stepped back, trying not to encroach on her space, it seemed. _What's the point of doing that if he is going to 'mate' with me anyway?_ She clutched her arms over her chest to hold herself and keep the disgust at bay. _Stay away, emotion, I want to remain unfeeling_. The numbness thickened in her veins.

"W-what... do you plan on doing?" She asked anyway, her voice still raspy.

"I will be making sure no other clan member comes near this area and preparing firewood for later." She nodded her head, still watching him warily and leaned back against the cool rock to stabilise herself. Those strange eyes of his scrutinized her once more, for what reason, she didn't know, before he turned back and around the end of the alcoves' wall and disappeared from view. She shook softly, not understanding why he was being so gentle and caring when he was just like the rest of them, would eventually do what they did.

A light breeze traipsed across her bare skin, causing her to shiver and look to the niches' opening. The sky she could see had darkened quite a bit since they had left the clearing, the firmament now a mix of dark blues, maroons and purples. With shaking hands, she began inspecting the bottle he had given her as she couldn't be too careful; he could be trying to drug her. But what was the point of that? He would have been able to do whatever he wanted to her without those substances because she wasn't strong enough to even try to stop him…

She pulled the cork out and scented the opening. Strawberries, a luxurious scent she'd missed since everything had happened as she'd left those soaps at her apartment when she had originally left for her mission all that time ago.

With partially glazed eyes that saw into past memories rather than the present, she stepped up next to the small fall of warm water, only pausing for a hesitant second to catch her breath on a sharp inhale from that fear of drowning before pouring some of the silky cleanser into one hand. She then began to sluggishly wash herself, charting a routine she usually followed when bathing, which was now soothing as it was the only thing that had any lingering normalcy left in her life.

Her hands were hesitant where they stimulated and connected with skin, suds forming on her skin and in her hair from the light friction, beware of the many delicate bruises, large splits and claw marks imprinting her skin.

Once sufficiently clean, by physical standards anyway, she rinsed her body off under the cascade of water, preferring the warmer water that lulled sensitive skin and relaxed tired and abused muscles as her deadened, brown orbs raked the area again. She didn't know how much more time had passed and only now noticed the muted glow emanating around the alcove. She vaguely remembered Lukas telling her about those crystals and their healing properties. Their tinted light coloured everything within the alcove in shades of blue and purple._ I wonder if they are the reason for this calm? This relaxation?_

"They would be." She stiffened and whipped around at the quiet voice, this time with her arms wrapped over her chest in an attempt to attain some amount of modesty, though she remained quiet.

Nox stood against the rock wall; still a fair few feet away and she wondered when he had slipped back into this space without disturbing the water and lilies.

"I didn't want to interrupt you." He strode towards her, the water rippling away from him but still making no sound like it would have had she been the one to shift through it. Her gaze dropped from him, head unconsciously lowering into a position of submission. He made no move against her, however and instead of the touch of skin she expected to start roaming her body, she felt the soft brush of fabric over her shoulders, caressing her complexion as it was wrapped tightly around her upper body and arms, avoiding the waters around her hips, as his large hands once again gripped her upper arms and lead her towards that stone he had first deposited her beside.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Her voice was quieter than his, but no longer as raspy as before.

"It is one of many abilities I was gifted with upon my training to be a dragon slayer with my father."

_So he can read my mind?_

"Yes, I can. If your throat hurts too much, do not speak but rather think what you wish to tell."

_What… type... of dragon slayer are you? The others were much more obvious_.

"I am a Night Dragon Slayer, able to read minds, blend with the shadows, use the impact of falling stars as physical strength, breathe the night sky and can transfer energy through contact."

_Why would you tell me all of this?_

"I do not want you to be afraid of me."

_What is the point of establishing trust with you? You and your…. Clan only wish to cause me harm. Your clan has done nothing but abuse me._ Tears wanted to start filling her eyes but she pushed the feeling back once again, willing the numbness to thicken more so than it already had.

"Not all of us are bad. Many are just brainwashed by Saevio with the help of Umbra and Gelum. Lukas and I don't want to harm you. In fact, one of the reasons I have 'requested' you for this day is to help you heal. I am able to heal you, partially at least, through my ability to transfer energy. But I need a prior connection to be able to do that."

It took a moment to grasp what he was getting at. _What do you want to do to me?_ She could feel the fear begin to cloud in around the edge of her mind, but she fought it off, trying not to sink into that emotional pit. _And why would you bother to ask my permission? I'm not strong enough to stop you from taking what you want either way..._

He stepped closer to her, effectively cornering her against the stone; his serious countenance was accentuated by the mix of shadows obscuring one side and the glowing crystals light reflecting over his face as his strange eyes bore into hers. "I need to mark you, Lucy. It's the best way to give you a large amount of energy to help you heal and it will guarantee me the chance to see you amongst the others. I will at least allow you the chance to recuperate after their… exploitations."

She froze, mind going blank at the thought of more pain. The fear hanging around the edge of her mind like a storm waiting on the horizon thickened, slowly creeping into her mind. She knew that once he marked her he would want more from her, would _take_ more from her anyway.

"I'm asking for your permission, Lucy, because you are still a person. One who does not deserve this… treatment. I wish there could be more that I could do for you, but I cannot as of yet. Not without being fully cut-off from you. So please, allow me to mark you, Lucy. Trust me to heal you, not to touch you as they have."

Her body trembled. She started shaking her head, feeling the soft fabric of the blanket around her shoulders brush against her jaw and she paused. _Perhaps he does mean well_. He was the only one to present her with any sort of coverings within the entire week she had been in this hell hole… but then the pain she remembered experiencing from each and every one of those bites sprung up and she flinched. It was worse than having your leg broken with someone repeatedly stomping on it…. Trust her, she knew all about that, though they had forced her to drink a bone regenerating concoction so that they could repeat the torture. She shuddered.

His expression softened as he leant down, his breath hot on her ear as he leaned in to whisper into the appendage, arms bracing themselves on the rock either side of her small frame. "Please let me help you, Lucy. I can ease your pain, but you must let me mark you first. It will also be less painful if you are a willing recipient." His dark head bent closer to her, lowering down along the bend of her neck and inhaling her scent at the pulse hammering away there.

_I… w-will the… pain… stop?_

"Yes, it will stop. However the pain from this bite will spike before setting. It won't last as long as the others though, that is if you say yes to it." Her breath wheezed lightly in her lungs. But she slowly, oh so slowly nodded her consent. It was better to have one more moment of pain and experience a day without that numb coldness inhabiting her being. Wasn't it? She desperately hoped so.

His muscled arms leisurely enveloped her, one settling around her shoulders with the hand at her nape as the other wound down around her waist and pulling her fully to him. All the while his lips lightly drew a trail along the column of her neck, tongue sometimes sweeping out to taste as the hand on her nape tipped her head back accordingly. Her chest constricted.

Those smooth lips paused along the cord of her throat just below her left ear. He inhaled again, exhale warming the skin there. "Breathe Lucy." His tongue swept out again, tasting that spot. "I promise to do this as quickly as possible." That was the last thing said as the brush of fangs became her only warning before the stinging and eventual scorching of the bite erupted along her throat.

She gasped and panted as the burning sensation spread from the puncture up over her cheek and down her neck and shoulder. She couldn't feel anything other than the piping hot venom spreading through her veins to mingle with her cool blood. The pain increased, burning and burning hotter. It was becoming too much for her and she tried to pull away, thrashing against him with arms attempting to flail even though they were caught in the blanket between her chest and his, but he held firm. This new pain was re-awakening the other parts of her body that had been injured previously, cracked ribs flexing as her lungs constricted again on a pain filled gasp, the skin around her many lacerations and bruises pulling tight and tearing at the edges of every gash. She didn't want to feel the pain from her torture. But his hold was like a vice wrapped around her and the agony rang through her body.

But then it was gone, her body suddenly light as a feather in contrast to the heavy and sullen weight she'd felt in every cell. The burning cooled, her body warming moments later to a soft lull followed by small spasms. When he pulled back from her throat, he continued to hold her close, embrace almost protective. She however, continued to spasm in small bursts as she felt bruising begin to form around the bite.

As her body softened she became weak as well, enough so that her knees knocked together enough that she would have collapsed, again, without the support of the rock at her back and Nox's arms around her.

His dark velvety locks brushed her cheek as those lips traced along her jaw soothingly. "Please do not panic at what happens next. It is necessary for me to be able to heal you."

She could scarcely focus at this point and barely had a moment for her brows to furrow, because in that next instant those smooth lips met her split ones in a firm kiss. Her eyes shot wide. She knew it, knew that this would happen.

"Lucy." He'd pulled back once again, his hand on her cheek and thumb wiping away the sudden tears flowing down her cheeks. "I promised you I would not touch you like they did and I won't. But this is the best way to heal you as I can pass more magic to you through this physical connection as well as the through the bond now between us." She couldn't stop shaking. "Please keep trusting me Lucy." He studied her expression, her eyes. This Celestial mage was in no position to trust a stranger, but there was nothing he could do about it.

When she made no move to even squirm, he leaned in and kissed her once again, this time tilting her head to the side and using his own lips and tongue to open her unresponsive mouth.

The flood of magic that hit her then had her flinching at the shock of it and would have floored her any other time. Right now though, she was no longer holding herself up. Actually, now that she thought about it she realized her legs were wrapped around Nox's waist. _When had that happened?!_ She felt his lips twitch against hers as if he were attempting not to smile. He had her pressed into the stone enough that he hadn't needed to place a hand beneath her backside to hold her up, but not enough that he ground into her intimately and that was kind of… relieving.

His tongue shot past her lips, tasting her, coaxing her tongue to dance with his. He tasted of cinnamon, which was delicious as it was, however it wasn't the heated spice she had desired for so long.

The magic flowed even thicker through her now and the deeper their kiss went, the stronger it became. She felt the splits in her lips sealing back to their soft plumpness, her broken and fractured bones knitting back together, the skin around every gash and claw mark weaving back together and many of her bruises fading, except for the ones surrounding each claiming mark.

Nox ended the kiss, both of them breathing hard from lack of oxygen rather than passion and his hands returned to either side of her face, his lower body the only thing pinning and holding her up.

He tilted her head this way and that, examining her for signs of her now practically non-existent injuries she guessed. She was so tired now, the warmth from earlier having previously pacified her some, but now with the fresh flow of magic swirling within her she was ready to just drop off from this plane of reality to sink into the land of dreams.

"Stay with me a moment longer, Lucy. Then you can sleep the rest of the day away without disruption."

_Yes…_

"Good. You seem to be fully healed, aside from some of the smaller scrapes and fresher bruising. Your deeper wounds are all healed without any scaring it appears." Seeing as he hadn't asked her a question she just remained silent and tried to keep her eyes open. "After this day, however, I have no choice but to hand you over to the next slayer to mark you. Considering there are only two left, I will be able to see you as soon as Marmor completes his mark, meaning I can heal you again and give you more time to recuperate. Lukas will be the last because he caused conflict for Saevio."

Her head lolled to the side. It had meant to be a nod, but her body was no longer responding. He seemed to understand though, because he lifted her into his arms bridal-style, his expansive chest acting as her pillow for the moment. He started moving and she could only guess it was to return to the camp on the other side of the alcove's wall.

"Lukas shall be allowed to see you within a few more days then, and when he does, he will have to mark you, too, should he want to remain in connection to you and be allowed to see you on a regular basis, though like me he won't resort to anything sexual." Nox looked down at her but her eyes were wandering, glazed over and were already past half mast. This time, a small smile actually lit his features.

"Sleep well, Lucy." And as for her, the last thing she saw this time were the colourful glowing lights from the crystals and the beautiful alcove before she sunk into the dreamland she had craved to escape to.

**A/N: well, there you have it. Sorry if it's kinda bludgy, but that's what I got for this chapter. So I hope you enjoyed, as it may be a while before the next chapter will be put up I'm afraid :( anyways, please leave a review of yours thoughts on it so far :3**

**P.S. - Just in case some people have forgotten or got confused between my OC characters, here is my OC cast list that gives a description of each of them I have included in the story so far (I don't think I will be adding any more than this, though).**

_Please do not copy their idea or anything._

_**Lukas **__ - shaggy blonde hair, gold eyes, about 15-16 years old, Day/Light Dragon-Slayer (i.e. controls light, can bend it to turn 'invisible', moves at speed of light, breaths light)_

_**Gelum**__ - Pale blue eyes with streaks of white, pale skin, black chin length hair with a light blue streak left side, 21 years old, cruel, lanky, Ice Dragon-Slayer (i.e. similar to Gray, makes ice and creates snow storms, controls mist, breath like frost), marks with a pale blue ice crystal below Lucy's right breast along her ribs_

_**Nox**__ - Night-sky eyes, black spiky hair with bangs, luminescent tanned skin, 19 years old, quiet, Night Dragon-Slayer (i.e. breaths the night sky, blends with the night/shadow, punches with impact of falling stars, mind read, can transfer energy through contact), marks Lucy along the cord of her neck just below her left ear_

_**Saevio**__ - Ash-blonde hair, silver/gray eyes, tanned, 22 years old, indifferent to most things, major temper, Storm Dragon-Slayer (i.e. controls weather formations, breaths hail and lightening), leader of the clan, marks Lucy with a silvery thundercloud on her left breast_

_**Sylva**__ - Brown hair, bold green eyes, brogue voice, broad shoulders, tanned, 20 years old, calm, Forest Dragon-Slayer (i.e. can make plants grow, controls the plants/trees, breaths winds of leaves), marks Lucy with a green lilac pattern on the inside of her left thigh_

_**Marmor **__ - Dark skin and eyes, light hair with streaks slightly longer than army styled, deep bass voice, 21 years old, Stone Dragon Slayer (i.e. similar powers to Jura, breathes sand torrents)_

_**Vitrum **__ - Opalescent eyes, long white hair in low ponytail, lean frame, 24 years old, Glass Dragon Slayer (can create and mould glass as if it were clay, can form barriers/shields with glass, breath similar to Gajeel's but with glass instead of iron), marks Lucy with an opalescent and jagged pearl on her right butt cheek_

_**Umbra **__ - Dark eyes, blackish purple hair full on shaggy, lilting voice, pale, tall and thin, 24 years old, Illusory Dragon Slayer (i.e. can make people see/suffer from illusions, breathes a gas that makes people see things), marks Lucy with a purpled spiral on her left hip_

_**Pontus **__ - Blue murky eyes, dark green glossy hair like seaweed that's shaggy on top and shorter around the sides, lanky with broad shoulders, 24 years old, Water Dragon-Slayer (i.e. powers like Juvia's, breathes rain), marks Lucy with a murky blue tangle that looks similar to waves on her right shoulder blade_

**P.P.S. - if you're wondering about their name choice, here's a hint for you: they are Latin translations :P**


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